Which military branch celebrated its own 250th anniversary during America250 preparations in 2025?

The United States Army celebrated its own 250th anniversary during America250 preparations in 2025.

The Army traces its establishment to June 14, 1775, when the Continental Congress created the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Because that founding date preceded the Declaration of Independence by more than a year, the Army reached its 250th anniversary in 2025, before the nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026.

A large anniversary parade and celebration took place on June 14, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The timing connected the Army’s separate institutional milestone with the broader national commemorations leading toward July 4, 2026.

The Army is not the same institution as the Continental Congress or the later United States government. It began as the Continental Army and became the United States Army under the new federal government after the Revolutionary War.