In 2015, the US Army expanded a program that allows immigrants with useful military skills
to enlist - in order to fast track their US citizenship.
The program is intended to raise the number of such service members from a hard cap of
1,500 per year to 5,000 through 2016.
The decision to include foreign nationals with skills such as translation and medical
support, points to the growing pool of potential applicants the military is willing to field.
It also encourages increased diversity within the armed forces.
So, how diverse is the United States military really?
Well, over the past two decades, racial inclusion and greater opportunities for minorities has
shown to have a profound impact on US military demographics.
Since 1995, the total number of minority service members has risen from about 25% to roughly
31% in 2014.
However, most tellingly, the percentage of minorities in higher ranking positions has
more than doubled in percentage.
This suggests a change in what used to be 90% white leadership roles.
Today, officers demographics are much more reflective of the total population; however,
whites are still slightly overrepresented and minorities are slightly underrepresented.
Among active duty personnel, however, this under and over representation is reversed.
Only about 70% of personnel are white, with roughly 17% African American.
Moreover, within the Army and Marine Corps, the percentage of minorities has actually
fallen since 1995, despite rising within the Department of Defense as a whole.
Interestingly, the US military has struggled to reflect the changing role of women in society.
In 1973, after ending the all-male military draft, the number of women in enlisted ranks
jumped from one in fifty to about one in seven.
However, over the past decade, the proportion of women has risen barely half a percent between
2000 and 2012.
Of the different branches, the Air Force has the greatest ratio of recruits, with roughly
a fifth of their ranks comprised of women.
In contrast, the Marine Corps has the lowest female representation, comprising only about
a tenth of its members.
There is also a larger proportion of African American women than men within the ranks;
And, women in general, are less likely to have served in combat roles - although they
are just as likely to be officers.
Now there is a stereotype that military service is utilized by people from lower income backgrounds.
However, recruitment estimates from the mid-2000s found that a majority came from middle and
upper-middle income regions.
In fact, lower income applicants were considerably underrepresented.
Out of over 1.3 million active duty military personnel, those who want to serve have been
slowly lining up with the country’s demographics.
As minorities and immigrants see huge strides within American society, they also see higher
rates of military membership.
However, limits on types of service - for example the exclusion of women from combat
roles before 2013 - has likely kept the proportion artificially low.
As further discriminatory barriers are lowered, so will the racial and gender disparity.
The U.S. military is often regarded as one of the world’s most powerful.
But what other world militaries come out on top?
Learn more in our video.
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