If you’re looking for a simple list of countries where the United States has officially declared war, that list is actually empty. It’s been empty since 1942. But walk into the Pentagon or talk to any service member recently returned from a "rotation," and you’ll get a very different story. The question of who is the US at war with isn’t answered by a single piece of parchment in the National Archives. Instead, it’s a messy, overlapping web of counter-terrorism operations, "advise and assist" missions, and high-stakes posturing against global superpowers.
It's weird, honestly. We live in an era where the bombs are falling, but the legal definitions are stuck in the mid-20th century.
To understand where the US is actually fighting right now, you have to look past the lack of a formal declaration. You have to look at the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed back in 2001. That single piece of legislation is basically the "skeleton key" that allows the US military to operate in dozens of countries without technically being "at war" in the way your history textbook describes it.
The shadow wars: Counter-terrorism and the 2001 AUMF
Technically, the US is engaged in "hostilities" rather than a traditional war. Most of this happens under the umbrella of the Global War on Terror. Even though the big headlines about Afghanistan have faded, the mission against groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda never actually stopped.
Right now, the most active kinetic environment is probably Somalia. The US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) regularly carries out airstrikes against al-Shabaab. We aren’t "at war" with Somalia—in fact, we’re technically helping their government—but if you’re dropping 500-pound bombs on insurgents, it sure feels like a war to the people on the ground. It’s a constant cat-and-mouse game.
Then there’s Syria. This one is even more legally murky. About 900 US troops are still stationed in eastern Syria. Their official job? Ensuring the "enduring defeat" of ISIS. But they’re also acting as a buffer against Iranian-backed militias and Russian influence. It’s a tiny footprint that carries massive geopolitical weight. When a drone hits a US base in Jordan or Syria, and the US retaliates against a militia group like Kata'ib Hezbollah, we are effectively in a state of localized war, even if the State Department prefers terms like "self-defense strikes."
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The Yemen complication
Yemen is another spot where the answer to who is the US at war with gets blurry. For years, the US provided intelligence and mid-air refueling to the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. While the direct support for offensive operations was supposedly scaled back, the recent Red Sea crisis changed everything. Since early 2024, the US has been trading fire with Houthi rebels (Ansar Allah) to protect shipping lanes. We aren’t at war with the nation of Yemen, but we are definitely in a hot conflict with the de facto authorities in Sana'a.
The "Near-Peer" pivot: Why things feel different now
For twenty years, the answer to who we were fighting was "terrorists." That’s changing. Fast.
The Department of Defense has pivoted toward what they call Great Power Competition. This means the US is preparing for potential conflicts with China and Russia. We aren't at war with them. Not yet. But we are in a state of "proxy friction."
In Ukraine, the US is the primary benefactor of the defense against Russian invasion. We’re sending HIMARS, Abrams tanks, and ATACMS missiles. While no US boots are officially in combat, the intelligence sharing and hardware make the US a primary antagonist in Moscow’s eyes. It’s a high-wire act. We want Russia to lose, but we don't want a direct nuclear exchange. This "gray zone" conflict is arguably more dangerous than the counter-insurgency battles of the 2000s because the stakes are existential.
The Pacific tension
Then there's China. If you ask a Navy admiral in the Pacific, they’ll tell you the "war" is already happening in the digital and economic spheres. The South China Sea is a powder keg. Every time a US destroyer sails through the Taiwan Strait, it’s a calculated risk. We are in a "Cold War 2.0" scenario where the goal is to deter a hot war through massive military presence.
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The legal loophole: Why declarations of war vanished
Why doesn't Congress just declare war anymore? Short answer: It's a headache.
A formal declaration of war triggers massive presidential powers and international legal obligations that nobody really wants to deal with. Instead, since the Vietnam era, and specifically since 9/11, the executive branch has used the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs to justify strikes in:
- Iraq
- Libya
- Niger
- Somalia
- Syria
- Yemen
The 2001 AUMF was originally meant for the people who planned the 9/11 attacks. Today, it’s used to fight groups that didn’t even exist in 2001. Critics, like Senator Tim Kaine or Representative Barbara Lee, have spent years trying to repeal these "blank checks," arguing that the American public deserves a real vote on where their soldiers are sent. So far, those efforts have mostly stalled.
Realities on the ground vs. official rhetoric
The discrepancy between what the government says and what is actually happening is wild.
Take Niger, for example. Most Americans didn't even know we had troops there until four soldiers were killed in an ambush in Tongo Tongo in 2017. We weren't "at war" with anyone in Niger, yet our Special Forces were engaging in high-intensity firefights. It's a "low-intensity conflict," a term that sounds sanitized until you’re the one in the Humvee.
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We also have to talk about Iran. While we aren't at war with the Iranian state, the US is in a constant, violent exchange with their proxies. Whether it's militias in Iraq or the Houthis in Yemen, the "unspoken" war is often with Tehran’s influence. Every few months, the tension spikes, a drone hits a base, the US responds with a precision strike, and both sides de-escalate just enough to avoid a total collapse of the region. It's a cycle.
How to stay informed on US military involvement
It is surprisingly hard to keep track of where the US is actually fighting. The Pentagon doesn't always put out a press release when a small team of Green Berets assists a local militia in a remote corner of the Sahel.
If you want to know the truth about who is the US at war with, you have to look at several layers:
- The Boots on the Ground: Check the semi-annual "War Powers Resolution" reports that the President is required to send to Congress. These letters list exactly where US forces are deployed with "combat equipment."
- The Budget: Look at the "Overseas Contingency Operations" (now often folded into the base budget but still trackable). Follow the money to see where the ammunition is being spent.
- The Proxy Maps: Watch groups like the Foundation for Defense of Democracies or the Institute for the Study of War. They track daily clashes that the evening news usually ignores.
The reality of modern American conflict is that "war" is no longer a binary state. It’s a sliding scale. We are "at war" in terms of kinetic action in several countries, "at war" in terms of cyber-defense against others, and in a state of "strategic competition" with the rest.
Actionable insights for the curious citizen
Don't just take the "we are at peace" line at face value. If you want to dive deeper, start by reading the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports on "Declarations of War and Authorizations for the Use of Military Force." They are free, incredibly detailed, and written by non-partisan experts.
Secondly, follow the Airwars project. They track civilian harm and military strikes in places like Syria and Somalia where the US doesn't always provide a full accounting.
Finally, pay attention to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) debates every year. That is where the actual rules of engagement are hidden in plain sight. Understanding these legal nuances is the only way to truly answer who the US is at war with, because in the 21st century, the battlefield is everywhere and nowhere all at once.