Swans

A CENTURY OF U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTIONS
From Wounded Knee to Yugoslavia

Compiled by Zoltan Grossman

October 2, 2000

 

 

The following is a partial list of U.S. military interventions from 1890 to 1999. This guide does NOT include demonstration duty by military police, mobilizations of the National Guard, offshore shows of naval strength, reinforcements of embassy personnel, the use of non-Defense Department personnel (such as the Drug Enforcement Agency), military exercises, non-combat mobilizations (such as replacing postal strikers), the permanent stationing of armed forces, covert actions where the U.S. did not play a command and control role, the use of small hostage rescue units, most uses of proxy troops, U.S. piloting of foreign warplanes, foreign disaster assistance, military training and advisory programs not involving direct combat, civic action programs, and many other military activities.

Among sources used, besides news reports, are the Congressional Record (23 June 1969), 180 landings by the U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Ege & Makhijani in Counterspy (July-Aug. 1982), and Daniel Ellsberg in Protest & Survive. 'Instances of Use of United States Forces Abroad, 1798-1993' by Ellen C. Collier of the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service.

 

SOUTH DAKOTA

ARGENTINA

CHILE

1890 (-?)

1890

1891

Troops

Troops

Troops

300 Lakota Indians massacred at Wounded Knee.

Buenos Aires interests protected.

Marines clash with nationalist rebels.

 

HAITI

IDAHO

HAWAII

1891

1892

1893 (-?)

Troops

Troops

Naval, troops

Black workers revolt on U.S.-claimed Navassa Island defeated.

Army suppresses silver miners' strike.

Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed.

 

CHICAGO

NICARAGUA

CHINA

1894

1894

1894-95

Troops

Troops

Naval, troops

Breaking of rail strike, 34 killed.

Month-long occupation of Bluefields.

Marines land in Sino-Japanese War.

 

KOREA

PANAMA

NICARAGUA

1894-96

1895

1896

Troops

Troops, naval

Troops

Marines kept in Seoul during war.

Marines land in Colombian province.

Marines land in port of Corinto.

 

CHINA

PHILIPPINES

CUBA

1898-1900

1898-1910(-?)

1898-1902(-?)

Troops

Naval, troops

Naval, troops

Boxer Rebellion fought by foreign armies.

Seized from Spain, killed 600,000 Filipinos.

Seized from Spain, still hold Navy base.

 

PUERTO RICO

GUAM

MINNESOTA

1898(-?)

1898(-?)

1898(-?)

Naval, troops

Naval, troops

Troops

Seized from Spain, occupation continues.

Seized from Spain, still use as base.

Army battles Chippewa at Leech Lake.

 

NICARAGUA

SAMOA

NICARAGUA

1898

1899(-?)

1899

Troops

Troops

Troops

Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur.

Battle over succession to throne.

Marines land at port of Bluefields.

 

IDAHO

OKLAHOMA

PANAMA

1899-1901

1901

1901-14

Troops

Troops

Naval, troops

Army occupies C?ur d'Alene mining region.

Army battles Creek Indian revolt.

Broke off from Colombia 1903, annexed Canal Zone 1914-99.

 

HONDURAS

DOMINICAN REP.

KOREA

1903

1903-04

1904-05

Troops

Troops

Troops

Marines intervene in revolution.

U.S. interests protected in Revolution.

Marines land in Russo-Japanese War.

 

CUBA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS

1906-09

1907

1907

Troops

Troops

Troops

Marines land in democratic election.

'Dollar Diplomacy' protectorate set up.

Marines land during war with Nicaragua.

 

PANAMA

NICARAGUA

HONDURAS

1908

1910

1911

Troops

Troops

Troops

Marines intervene in election contest.

Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto.

U.S. interests protected in civil war.

 

CUBA

PANAMA

HONDURAS

1912

19l2

19l2

Troops

Troops

Troops

U.S. interests protected in Havana.

Marines land during heated election.

Marines protect U.S. economic interests.

 

NICARAGUA

MEXICO

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

1912-33

19l3

1914

Troops, bombing

Naval

Naval

20-year occupation, fought guerrillas.

Americans evacuated during revolution.

Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo.

 

COLORADO

MEXICO

HAITI

1914

1914-18

1914-34

Troops

Naval, troops

Troops, bombing

Breaking of miners' strike by Army.

Series of interventions against nationalists.

19-year occupation after revolts.

 

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CUBA

WORLD WAR I

1916-24

1917-33

19l7-18

Troops

Troops

Naval, troops

8-year Marine occupation.

Military occupation, economic protectorate.

Ships sunk, fought Germany.

 

RUSSIA

PANAMA

YUGOSLAVIA

1918-22

1918-20

1919

Naval, troops

Troops

Troops

Five landings to fight Bolsheviks.

'Police duty' during unrest after elections.

Marines intervene for Italy against Serbs in Dalmatia.

 

HONDURAS

GUATEMALA

WEST VIRGINIA

1919

1920

1920-21

Troops

Troops

Troops, bombing

Marines land during election campaign.

2-week intervention against unionists.

Army intervenes against mineworkers.

 

TURKEY

CHINA

HONDURAS

1922

1922-27

1924-25

Troops

Naval, troops

Troops

Fought nationalists in Smyrna (Izmir).

Deployment during nationalist revolt.

Landed twice during election strife.

 

PANAMA

CHINA

EL SALVADOR

1925

1927-34

1932

Troops

Troops

Naval

Marines suppress general strike.

Marines stationed throughout the country.

Warships sent during Faribundo Marti revolt.

 

WASHINGTON DC

WORLD WAR II

DETROIT

1932

1941-45

1943

Troops

Naval,troops, bombing, nuclear

Troops

Army stops WWI vet bonus protest.

Fought Axis for 3 years; 1st nuclear war.

Army puts down Black rebellion.

 

IRAN

YUGOSLAVIA

URUGUAY

1946

1946

1947

Nuclear threat

Naval

Nuclear threat

Soviet troops told to leave north (Iranian Azerbaijan).

Response to shooting-down of U.S.plane.

Bombers deployed as show of strength.

 

GREECE

CHINA

GERMANY

1947-49

1948-49

1948

Command operation

Troops

Nuclear threat

U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war.

Marines evacuate Americans before Communist victory.

Atomic-capable bombers guard Berlin Airlift.

 

PHILIPPINES

PUERTO RICO

KOREA

1948-54

1950

1951-53(-?)

Command operation

Command operation

Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats

CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion.

Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce.

U.S.& South Korea fight China & North Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in 1950, & vs.China in 1953. Still have bases.

 

IRAN

VIETNAM

GUATEMALA

1953

1954

1954

Command operation

Nuclear threat

Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat

CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah.

Bombs offered to French to use against siege.

CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalizes U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua.

 

EGYPT

LEBANON

IRAQ

1956

1958

1958

Nuclear threat, troops

Troops, naval

Nuclear threat

Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; Marines evacuate foreigners

Marine occupation against rebels

Iraq warned against invading Kuwait.

 

CHINA

PANAMA

VIETNAM

1958

1958

1960-75

Nuclear threat

Troops

Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats

China told not to move on Taiwan isles.

Flag protests erupt into confrontation.

Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; 1-2 million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in 1968 and 1969.

 

CUBA

GERMANY

CUBA

1961

1961

1962

Command operation

Nuclear threat

Nuclear threat

CIA-directed exile invasion fails.

Alert during Berlin Wall crisis.

Naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with USSR.

 

LAOS

PANAMA

INDONESIA

1962

1964

1965

Command operation

Troops

Command operation

Military buildup during guerrilla war.

Panamanians shot for urging canal's return.

Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup.

 

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

GUATEMALA

DETROIT

1965-66

1966-67

1967

Troops, bombing

Command operation

Troops

Marines land during election campaign.

Green Berets intervene against rebels.

Army battles Blacks, 43 killed.

 

UNITED STATES

CAMBODIA

OMAN

1968

1969-75

1970

Troops

Bombing, troops, naval

Command operation

After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers in cities.

Up to 2 million killed in decade ofbombing, starvation, and political chaos.

U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion.

 

LAOS

SOUTH DAKOTA

MIDEAST

1971-73

1973

1973

Command operation, bombing

Command operation

Nuclear threat

U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; 'carpet-bombs' countryside.

Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas.

World-wide alert during Mideast War.

 

CHILE

CAMBODIA

ANGOLA

1973

1975

1976-92

Command operation

Troops, bombing Gas

Command operation

CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president.

captured ship, 28 die in copter crash.

CIA assists South African-backed rebels.

 

IRAN

LIBYA

EL SALVADOR

1980

1981

1981-92

Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing

Naval jets

Command operation, troops, advisors

Raid to rescue Embassy hostages;8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution.

Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers.

Overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash.

 

NICARAGUA

LEBANON

HONDURAS

1981-90

1982-84

1983-89

Command operation, naval

Naval, bombing, troops

Troops

CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution.

Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim and Syrian positions.

Maneuvers help build bases near borders.

 

GRENADA

IRAN

LIBYA

1983-84

1984

1986

Troops, bombing

Jets

Bombing, naval

Invasion four years after revolution.

Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf.

Air strikes to topple nationalist gov't.

 

BOLIVIA

IRAN

LIBYA

1986

1987-88

1989

Troops

Naval, bombing

Naval jets

Army assists raids on cocaine region.

US intervenes on side of Iraq in war.

Two Libyan jets shot down.

 

VIRGIN ISLANDS

PHILIPPINES

PANAMA

1989

1989

1989-90

Troops

Jets

Troops, bombing

St. Croix Black unrest after storm.

Air cover provided for government against coup.

Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed.

 

LIBERIA

SAUDI ARABIA

IRAQ

1990

1990-91

1990-?

Troops

Troops, jets

Bombing, troops, naval

Foreigners evacuated during civil war.

Iraq countered after invading Kuwait; 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.

Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; no-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south, large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.

 

KUWAIT

LOS ANGELES

SOMALIA

1991

1992

1992-94

Naval, bombing, troops

Troops

Troops, naval, bombing

Kuwait royal family returned to throne.

Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising.

U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction.

 

YUGOSLAVIA

BOSNIA

HAITI

1992-94

1993-95

1994-96

Naval

Jets, bombing

Troops, naval

Nato blockade of Serbia and Montenegro.

No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs.

Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup.

 

CROATIA

ZAIRE (CONGO)

LIBERIA

1995

1996-97

1997

Bombing

Troops

Troops

Krajina Serb airfields attacked before Croatian offensive.

Marines at Rwandan Hutu refuge camps, in area where Congo revolution begins.

Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.

 

ALBANIA

SUDAN

AFGHANISTAN

1997

1998

1998

Troops

Missiles

Missiles

Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.

Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be 'terrorist' nerve gas plant.

Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies.

 

IRAQ

YUGOSLAVIA

 

1998-?

1999-?

 

Bombing, Missiles

Bombing, Missiles

 

Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions.

Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo.

 

 

This compilation was revised on March 23, 1999. For more information or with comments and additions please contact :

Zoltan Grossman, 1705 Rutledge, Madison, WI 53704
Phone Fax : (608)246-2256.
mtn@igc.apc.org

Permission to reproduce this list in its entirety is granted by the author, please send any published copy to the above address.

 

Related links

Weapons Watch: An Every-Now-and-Then-Look at Weapons of War - by Mac Lawrence

Lest We Forget - by Wendell Berry

More Money Down the Military Drain - by Mac Lawrence

What Kind of Nation Neglects Everything BUT Weapons? - by Dale Bumpers

 

Resources on the War in Yugoslavia and its Aftermath

 

Articles Published on Swans Regarding the War in Yugoslavia and its Aftermath


Published October 2, 2000
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