Important wars involving the US from 1945 to today?

Question

what are the most important wars that occured from 1945-present day that involved the United States?

Answer 1

Vietnam Conflict, 1962 - 1973
Iran-Iraq War, 1987 - 1989
Persian Gulf War, 1991
Operation Desert Storm, 1991
Operation Desert Shield, 1991
War on terror, 2001 - present

Answer 2

"ajsnkoo" and "Horsmn4" have the best answers to date, while Lt. Weasel has some dates wrong.

WW-2 finished in 1945 and since then the US has been involved in numerous conflicts, some have been called wars while others "police actions" or "peace missions", and others just called "conflicts:"

First Indochina War -- 1947 to 1954. The US supplied arms to the French under the "Marshall Plan", first shipping the arms to France where they were on-shipped to Indochina. Later the US started shipping the arms directly to Vietnam and used by the French to maintain its colonies in Indochina while the three countries fought the French. The US supplied airforce personnel to assist with arms dropping mission (from 1949 onwards) and bombing missions (from 1952 onwards).

The Korean War -- June 1950 to 1953. Part of the UN "Police Action".

Vietnam War (Second Indochina War) --- 1954 to 1975. (The starting date for the Vietnam War varies between historians. The US military fives February 1961 at the starting date when the "First US soldier was killed". Actually, 3 other soldiers had died earlier -- from 1957 onwards.
Some give the date as 1954 when the US sent CIA operatives into the North to blow-up the national infrastructure -- coal depots, oil depots, train tracks, dams and dikes etc, prior to and during the signing of the 1954 Geneva Agreements.
Others give the date as 1956 following the time when "national elections" where supposed to take place and the US and the Diem government violated the 1954 agreements.
Others also give the date as early 1960 following the conference held just outside of Saigon in December 1959 when numerous groups, Buddhist Monks, Trade Union Officials, Nationalists and Communists met. They founded the National Liberation Front of Southern Vietnam (NLFSV).

Gulf War-1 --- Sept 1990 to Feb 1991. Part of a UN sponsored conflict.

Gulf War - 2 --- 2002 to the present. An illegal operation in violation of the UN Charter and certainly NOT sanctioned by the UN.

Afghanistan -- 2002 to present. A UN sanctioned "police action".

All the other actions such as Grenada, Panama, were just conflicts and places like Somalia were "peace-keeping" actions.

Answer 3

From 1945 to present day, the US has been involved in no formally declared wars.

The Korean Conflict was the US acting on behalf of the UN, as directed by President Truman.

The '58 Lebanon action, Viet Nam, '83 Lebanon action, the Invasion of Panama, Desert Shield/Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom - while authorized by Congress, are Military Actions not under a formal Declaration of War.

Answer 4

The four most important, in my opinion, follow:

1. Vietnam, because of the effect it had, and continues to have, on our culture.

2. The current War in Iraq, because of the potential future effects of terrorism.

3. The current War in Afghanistan, for the same reasons.

4. The Korean War.

And, undeclared or not, these were still wars. The idea that without a "declaration of war" from the Congress, that it's not a war, is ridiculous.

Answer 5

Official wars?? WWII ended in 1945, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq War. I don't think you're referring to the military actions that weren't wars like Kosovo, Somalia, Grenada, etc.

Answer 6

The war on drugs and the war against poverty. We are still awaiting a victory.