The United States Department of Defense was originally named the War Department in 1789. The current organization founded by Congress
? in 1947 is based in the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Navy, Marines and agencies such as the
National Security Agency comprise the Department. Its annual budget is roughly $280 billion (~$1,000 per capita). Web site at
http://www.defenselink.mil As part of the
September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack, a terrorist crashed a plane into one of the sections of the
Pentagon, the department's headquarters building, causing part of it to collapse and killing hundreds.