Report to Congress on U.S. Periods of War

December 26, 2018 5:31 PM

The following is the Dec. 14, 2018 Congressional Research Service report, U.S. Periods of War and Dates of
Recent Conflicts.

From the report

Many wars or conflicts in U.S. history have federally designated “periods of war,” dates marking their beginning and ending. These dates are important for qualification for certain veterans’ pension or disability benefits. Confusion can occur because beginning and ending dates for “periods of war” in many nonofficial sources are often different from those given in treaties and other official sources of information, and armistice dates can be confused with termination dates. This report lists the beginning and ending dates for “periods of war” found in Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations, dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). It also lists and differentiates other beginning dates given in declarations of war, as well as termination of hostilities dates and armistice and ending dates given in proclamations, laws, or treaties. The dates for the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are included along with the official end date for Operation New Dawn in Iraq on December 15, 2011, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on December 28, 2014. Operation Inherent Resolve continues along the Syrian-Iraqi border effective October 15, 2014.

Download the document here.

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