The military history of Puerto Rico dates back to the 16th century when Spanish conquistadors battled against the native Tainos and continues to the present-day. It was ruled by the Spanish Empire for four centuries, during which the Puerto Ricans defended the island against invasions from the British, French and Dutch. The island was seized by the United States during the Spanish-American War, and Spain officially ceded it under the terms of the 1898 Treaty of Paris which ended the War. Now a United States territory, as citizens of the United States, Puerto Ricans have participated in every major conflict in which the United States has been involved from World War I onward.
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