An educational look into the actual demographics of enlisted and officer troops in the us military. Number and percentage of 18 to 24yearolds in the armed. Many of those who join the military do so, at least in part, to obtain access to the g. Demographic information is useful to anyone wishing to learn more about the military, or for anyone who needs quantitative data. Apr 11, 2019 most people used to be in the military as tradition. But many people enlist in the military before going to college so that they can get their degrees afterward for free through the gi bill. They are least likely to work with a veteran cm2t 4. The decision gave military services until january 2016 to seek exceptions to the rule if they believe that certain jobs, such as machine gunners, should be restricted to men only. The ataglance reference tables in this section illustrate the numbers of active duty, reserve, and national guard troops as well as their demographics, including. The report focuses on american youth and young adults 14 to 24 years old, and presents trends in various social contexts that may relate to youth education and learning.
Does free college threaten our allvolunteer military. A few members of congress, motivated by american combat in the middle east, have called for the reinstatement of a compulsory military draft. The syrian armed forces fought in the 1948 arabisraeli war against israel and were involved in a number of military coups. That way there is always a great supply of cannon fodder. Military religious demographics military association of. Military casualty statistics, as well as, historical dod procurement reports and data files. According to the department of defense and the census bureau, only 12. Afpc has fielded a personnel statistics website, persstat, which has interactive charts you may use to display and filter data. Join the military joining the military can be an exciting and lifechanging experience. Apr 24, 2018 deployed around the world, the armed forces are a pillar of u. On almost every other measure of personal connection to the military, however, millennials lag behind the rest of society. The military takes no better than an average cut of american youth when it comes to. But in my view, service members do share a number of mannerisms, beliefs, traits, and perceptions. Nov 20, 2019 the air force is the youngest of our nations military services.
What percentage of us population has served in the military. Jun 05, 2018 discover all statistics and data on armed forces of the united kingdom now on. Americas youth contains statistics that address important aspects of the lives of youth, including family, schooling, work, community, and health. Military academy 20% females and 33% racialethnic minorities. That statistic has risen from the pre911 era when it was just 55 percent.
However, the average age is higher given that some people enlist later. Nearly half of all military personnel are associated with the army, whether in active duty, reserves, or national guard. Isnt the modern military full of men and women from lowincome backgrounds, with a far higher minority representation than in the general population, who join up only because they have no other viable career possibilities. Racial and ethnic minority groups made up 40% of defense department activeduty military in 2015, up from 25% in 1990. What percentage of us population has served in the us marine corps. Later, conflicts in iraq and afghanistan increased the overall size of the military. Nyla joseph, the daughter of a military veteran, joins veterans in a protest outside trumps news conference during his campaign for presidency. Bowers said, and they have a more accurate picture of what the military is like. Prior to world war ii, there was no written policy barring homosexuals from serving, although sodomy was considered a crime by military law ever since revolutionary war times. Just 6,000 out of 33 million young americans would join the army. We highly encourage students military and civilian, media and the general public searching for academic data to use persstat in addition to the airman and civilian demographics above. The united states armed forces are the military forces of the united states of america.
The most recent figures from the defence analytical services and advice dasa show that ethnic minorities make up only 6. Throughout its history, the us military had an inconsistent policy when it came to gay people in the military. Todays military the number of americans serving in the military is a small slice of the u. This was not as true during vietnam as the liberals started showing their cowardice by running aw. Aug 03, 2017 states with the most and fewest members of the military. Jul 31, 20 start with the basics, courtesy of dods most recent annual report on military demographics. According to a 2011 pew research survey, 75 percent of those who enlisted said they did so to obtain educational benefits. Poor, women and minorities targeted mintpress be all that you can be. The air force is also one of the hardest services to join. The population reference bureau, an independent, private data analysis agency, shows military atheists comprise more than 20% of the population.
At the time, the active component of the military comprised 2. The president of the united states is the commanderinchief of the armed forces and forms military policy with the department of defense dod and department of homeland security dhs, both federal executive departments. The united states prides itself on being a melting pot for different races, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds. It includes data on early labormarket entry as well as social, demographic, and. Aug 21, 2008 others believe that the war in iraq has forced the military to lower its recruiting standards. Assigned strength of active duty force service enlisted officers total percentage army 452,064 87,610 539,675 37. There are a lot of reasons young men and women across the united states show an interest in the armed forces. States with the most and fewest members of the military. Including data debunking myths of socioeconomic volunteer rates. Profile of the military community provide the overall trends in military participation by gender, as well as demographic and occupational profiles of male and female military. The demographics of enlisted troops and officers is so surprising. The total number of us military personnel is over 3.
If youre looking out for whats best for you, dont join the military. The united states military is one of the most trusted. This gave women access to the roughly 10% of military jobs which were previously closed off due to their combat nature. Department of defense the total ratio for active duty minority officers to minority enlisted personnel is 1 to 6.
Army training and doctrine command to study the underrepresentation of women and racial minorities within the services senior officer ranks. Racial and ethnic minority groups made up 40% of defense department active duty military in 2015, up from 25% in 1990. A large number of people who join the army do so because they have a family member who serves or served, bowers said, and they have a more accurate picture of what the military. Army, and when its uttered, the picture that likely. Even a quick glance at data of the military s demographics should be enough to cast doubt on this perception. This article was originally published in spousebuzz. Gender demographics for active duty, air national guard, and. Putting in the easiest terms possible during wwii and korea, it was a tossup since the draft grabbed everyone, regardless of political affiliation. As long as you meet the eligibility requirements, age doesnt matter. Sep 22, 2008 this leads to many family members having a positive impact from the military and passing that feeling onto the next generation. Medal of honor recipients medal of honor recipients.
We highly encourage students military and civilian, media and the general public searching for academic data to use persstat in addition to the airman and civilian demographics. Please see the department of defenses dmdcs reports and publications for the most uptodate information on military demographics. This marks the smallest activeduty force since 2001, according to a new pew research center analysis of data from the u. There are over 1 million military personnel who are on active duty right now. This article discusses the history of participation of the three largest racial ethnic groups in the military. Between 194867 a series of coups destroyed the stability of the government and any remaining professionalism within the armed forces.
Overview of us air force military personnel officer and enlisted based on race, ethnicity, and. Overview of us air force military personnel officer and enlisted based on race, ethnicity, and gender demographics for active duty, air national guard, and reserve components this chart shows male percentage in blue and female percentage in red for officer and enlisted ranks. Overview of us air force military personnel officer and enlisted based on race, ethnicity, and gender demographics for active duty, air national guard, and reserve components this chart shows male percentage in blue and. They are the least likely demographic to have served in the military themselves, and they are most likely to have no family members who have served cm1t 52, 53. Is the same true for the us military that helps to defend the country against terrorism, war, or the threats of war. In summary, the additional years of recruit data 20042005 support the previous finding that u. Americans struggle to meet the french foreign legions high. Does the british military have a problem with race. It was separated from the army air corps as part of the national security act of 1947.
Actually, all of the military services including the coast guard. With nearly half a million members, the army is the. Some of the declines in military participation that followed the cold war and gulf war were halted with the 911 terrorist attacks. Exposing 3 myths about why people enlist in the military. Two department of defense publications population representation in the military forces, fy2010 and demographics 2010. It consists of the army, marine corps, navy, air force, space force and coast guard. Military veteran population will be less white and male as. Journal of political and military sociology, 2008, vol. Studies for recruitment have shown time and time again a major factor in a person joining the military is association with a family member or friend who recommended it to them. The report measures the demographics of military personnel against the. Users of this site may view and print dod personnel and u. By percentage, how many people serve in the military. Others reasons, which we hope to get to in future posts on military demographics, may be that cultural or economic differences make some groups more likely to join.
Forsvarsmakten, literally the defense force is the government agency that forms the military forces of sweden, and which is tasked with defense of the country, as well as promoting swedens wider interests, supporting international peacekeeping efforts, and providing humanitarian aid. I recently heard someone throw around the statistic that only about 2 percent of all living americans have served in the military. Military academy as of september 2016, there were 4,469 cadets enrolled in the u. This report contains the latest available information on the makeup of the military community including service members and their dependents in the united. This statistic shows the distribution of activeduty enlisted women and men in the u. What percentage of americans have served in the military. The ataglance reference tables in this section illustrate the numbers of active duty, reserve, and national guard troops as well as their demographics, including gender, race, location and more. When i was a commander in iraq, many of my men were unfit for the battlefield. Military demographics army, reserves, air force reserve. The earliest age at which individuals can enlist in any branch of the u.
What is the average age that soldiers join the military. Discover all statistics and data on united states armed forces now on. Airforce 2002 enlisted and officer religious demographics. Population 2018 worldometers in the us military, there is roughly. Well, it seems that the air force is the most popular of the military services. In addition, the share of americans serving in the activeduty military has declined marginally to 0. Here, a graphical look at the makeup of the military and the sacrifices. Despite decades of persecution and broken promises, despite being dispossessed of, and often forcibly removed from, their ancestral homelands, american indians have served and continue to serve in our nations armed forces in numbers that belie their small percentage of the american population. Us military is not representative of country business. Aug 10, 2015 is the same true for the us military that helps to defend the country against terrorism, war, or the threats of war. Posted on august 12, 2017 september 24, 2017 by statistic brain. See a breakdown of numbers in the us military, by branch and year, in world war ii. The majority of active duty personnel are white at 70%, but white americans are actually underrepresented in the military, as they represent 78% of the u.