Named for Revolutionary War general and South Carolina native Thomas Sumter, Fort Sumter was one of nearly 50 forts built as part of the so-called Third System, a coastal defense program implemented by Congress in 1817.
In simple terms, the U.S. Armed Forces are made up of the five armed service branches: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy.
There are five military academies: 1  United States Military Academy â Army. 2  United States Naval Academy â Navy and Marine Corps. 3  United States Coast Guard Academy. 4  United States Merchant Marine Academy. 5  United States Air Force Academy.