What was the last presidential administration to not undertake major military action?

[PlanetaryOrbit]

Military action has taken place in almost every recent U.S. presidential administration I can recall:


Obama - Drone strikes, military operation in Libya against Gaddafi

Bush II - war in Afghanistan, war in Iraq

Clinton - military operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, and also the cruise missile strikes on Afghan and Sudan targets

Bush I - military operation in Panama, and the Gulf War

Reagan - Grenada, airstrike against Libya





So, what was the last presidential administration to not undertake major military action? Carter? Ford?


Operation Eagle Claw (to rescue the American hostages in Iran) did take place under Carter's administration, but that was a justified military action in my opinion.

[H2O Man]

1. JFK

Cuban missile crisis

[PlanetaryOrbit]

3. You're being sarcastic, right?

Right?

[gopiscrap]

4. what about Carter?

But your assertion on Kennedy wouldn't surprise me

[bobclark86]

5. <COUGH>

Vietnam <COUGH>

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Jimmy Carter.

[Uncle Joe]

7. Jimmy Carter other than trying to rescue the hostages, I

can't think of anything.

If you added every conflict the U.S. has been since its' inception I believe it's well over 200 years of war.

Thanks for the thread, PlanetaryOrbit.

[bobclark86]

8. Eagle Claw was a clusterfuck...

We were still in Vietnam and Cambodia under Ford.

The last one was James Garfield, who died in 1881 after 200 days in office. He did damn near jump into a war in South America, though.

Link to U.S. military operations

[BlueCheese]

9. The OP said "undertake".

Ford inherited the Vietnam War, which also ended during his presidency.

[bobclark86]

11. I seem to remember him...

sending in troops to help evacuate Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as seize a merchant vessel in Cambodia.

The Mayaguez Incident

More Americans died there than in Benghazi.

[BlueCheese]

10. Carter, I guess.

Before that you have a few interesting cases. I'm pretty sure William Henry Harrison never got around to starting a war.

[Uncle Joe]

12. I believe he and Custer were cosmic twins. n/t

[Zen Democrat]

13. That's easy. Jimmy Carter the Peacemaker.