Every true US war has begun on or involving water.
Every military action after WW2 has been unconstitution undeclared. Wars not declared by US Congress are unconstitutional by definition.
Common terms:
- undeclared wars
- military interventions
- armed conflicts
- hostilities
- police actions — Korean War was famously called this
- military operations
- AUMF wars — authorized by Authorization for Use of Military Force, not formal declaration
- executive wars / presidential wars
- war-powers conflicts
If making the constitutional critique, strongest phrase:
│ unconstitutional undeclared wars / presidential wars
Legally, government often avoids “war” and says armed conflict, hostilities, or military operation.
Below are major overt U.S. undeclared armed conflicts / invasions / attacks since WWII. None were formal Congressional “Declarations of War.”
Major U.S. undeclared conflicts since WWII
- Korean War / “Police Action” — 1950–1953
Began when North Korea crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea. U.S. entered under UN framework, not declaration of war. - Lebanon intervention — 1958
Marines landed in Beirut during political crisis, justified by Eisenhower Doctrine. - Bay of Pigs — 1961
CIA-backed invasion of Cuba by exiles; failed amphibious landing. - Vietnam War — major U.S. escalation 1964–1975
Escalated after Gulf of Tonkin alleged naval incidents. Congress passed Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, not war declaration. - Dominican Republic intervention — 1965–1966
Marines invaded during civil conflict, framed as preventing communist takeover. - Cambodia bombings/incursions — 1969–1973
Secret/expanded bombing and ground incursions tied to Vietnam War. - Laos covert war — 1960s–1970s
CIA/air war against communist Pathet Lao/North Vietnamese routes; undeclared and partly covert. - Mayaguez incident — 1975
U.S. attacked Cambodian forces after seizure of U.S. merchant ship SS Mayaguez near Cambodia. - Iran hostage rescue attempt — 1980
Operation Eagle Claw; failed military mission inside Iran. - Lebanon / Beirut deployment — 1982–1984
Marines deployed during Lebanese Civil War; ended after 1983 barracks bombing. - Grenada invasion — 1983
Operation Urgent Fury; began after coup and instability on island. - Libya bombing — 1986
Operation El Dorado Canyon; airstrikes after Berlin disco bombing attributed to Libya. - Persian Gulf tanker war / Earnest Will — 1987–1988
U.S. protected/reflagged Kuwaiti tankers during Iran–Iraq War; naval clashes with Iran. - Panama invasion — 1989–1990
Operation Just Cause; ousted Manuel Noriega after escalating U.S.–Panama tensions. - Gulf War — 1990–1991
Began after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Congress authorized force, but no formal declaration. - Somalia intervention — 1992–1995
Humanitarian/UN mission; escalated into combat, including Battle of Mogadishu. - Haiti intervention — 1994–1995
Operation Uphold Democracy; restored elected president after coup. - Bosnia air campaign / intervention — 1995
NATO airstrikes against Bosnian Serb forces. - Iraq strikes / no-fly-zone war — 1991–2003
Continuous U.S./UK enforcement, bombings, and clashes after Gulf War. - Sudan and Afghanistan missile strikes — 1998
Operation Infinite Reach after U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa. - Kosovo War — 1999
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia over Kosovo; no Congressional declaration. - Afghanistan War — 2001–2021
Began after 9/11; invasion targeted al-Qaeda and Taliban. Based on 2001 AUMF. - Philippines counterterror operations — 2002 onward
U.S. support/combat-adjacent operations against Abu Sayyaf and others. - Iraq War — 2003–2011; later 2014 onward
Invasion began with “shock and awe” strikes over WMD/regime-change claims. 2002 AUMF, no declaration. - Pakistan drone/raid war — 2004 onward
Drone strikes and special operations; includes 2011 bin Laden raid in Abbottabad. - Yemen drone/special operations war — 2002 onward, expanded 2009 onward
Strikes against al-Qaeda affiliates; later broader involvement around Saudi/UAE war. - Somalia strikes/operations — 2007 onward
Airstrikes, raids, advisors against al-Shabaab/ISIS-linked forces. - Libya intervention — 2011
NATO air war against Gaddafi government, framed as civilian protection. - Syria operations — 2014 onward
Strikes and ground presence against ISIS; later strikes against Syrian government targets. - ISIS war in Iraq/Syria — 2014 onward
Operation Inherent Resolve; began after ISIS territorial expansion. - Libya anti-ISIS strikes — 2015–2019
Airstrikes/special ops against ISIS-linked forces. - Niger / Sahel operations — 2010s onward
Counterterror deployments; public attention after 2017 Tongo Tongo ambush. - Iran / Soleimani strike — 2020
Drone strike killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad airport. - Houthis / Yemen-Red Sea strikes — 2024 onward
U.S./UK strikes after Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping.
Concise framing:
Since WWII, the U.S. has fought through “police actions,” AUMFs, UN/NATO missions, counterterror operations, covert wars, air campaigns, and executive military actions — but no formal declared war.
Constutitional wars properly declared by US Congress – everything else has been a “Presidential war”
- American Revolution — maritime-imperial trade conflict: taxation, customs enforcement, smuggling suppression, Boston Tea Party in Boston Harbor, Boston Port Act/blockade. First shots inland, but crisis was heavily maritime.
- War of 1812 — maritime trade/impressment, British naval power: yes.
- Mexican–American War — Rio Grande boundary dispute: river/water-border framing; weakest but arguable.
- Civil War — Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor: yes.
- Spanish–American War — USS Maine in Havana Harbor: yes.
- WWI — submarine warfare / Atlantic shipping: yes.
- WWII — Pearl Harbor naval-base attack: yes.