The United States Army was founded on June 14, 1775, a milestone featured in America250 celebrations.
The Second Continental Congress created the Continental Army on that date, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence. The Army therefore reached its 250th anniversary in 2025, during the wider period of events leading into the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026.
June 14 is also Flag Day in the United States. A major Army 250th Anniversary Parade took place in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2025. The event honored the Army’s Revolutionary-era origins and its continuing role in U.S. history.
The Army’s founding date is not July 4, 1776, which marks adoption of the Declaration. It is also earlier than the Constitution’s creation in 1787, making the Army one of the country’s oldest continuing institutions.