Statistics on Women in the Military

Women Serving Today
Information courtesy of the Department of Defense and the US Coast Guard.
DoD data as of May 31, 2006. USCG data as of June 15, 2006.

Active Duty

Reserve & Guard
Women
Total
%Women
Women
Total
%Women
USA
68,441
487,898
14.0%
USAR
43,083
186,140
23.1%
USMC
10,918
178,190
6.1%
USMCR
1,881
39,226
4.8 %
USN
49,915
349,301
14.3%
USNR
14,400
70,632
20.4%
USAF
68,348
347,758
19.7%
USAFR
17,838
74,924
23.8%
Total DoD
197,622
1,363,147
14.5%
Total
DoD
77,202
370,922
20.8%
USCG
4,626
39,849
11.6%
USCGR
1,137
8,039
14.1%
Total
202,248
1,402,996
14.4%
Reserve
Total
78,339
378,961
20.7%
(More than 90% of all career fields in the armed forces are now open to women)
USARNG
44,978
339,844
13.2%
USANG
18,853
105,150
17.9%
Download a more detailed chart.
Guard
Total
63,831
444,994
14.3%

Women in Military Conflicts Women Prisoners of War
Spanish-American War 1,500 Civil War 1
World War I 35,000 World War II 88
World War II (era) 400,000 Desert Storm 2
Korea (in theater) 1,000 Operation Iraqi Freedom 3
Vietnam (in theater) 7,500

 

Revised 7/17/06

Grenada (deployed) 170
Panama (deployed) 770
Desert Storm (in theater) 41,000