RACE AND IMMIGRATION STATUS IN THE CONTEMPORARY MILITARY Among active duty forces in all services, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, 70.2% were white, 17.2% were black, 01.6% were American Indian or Alaska Native, 03.4% were Asian, 00.6% were Pacific Islander, 01.0% were multiracial and 06.0% were of an unknown race Like the U.S. Census Bureau, the military asks whether forces are of a Hispanic ethnicity, in addition to asking about race. Among active duty forces 10.2% identified as Hispanic. There is variation in the racial ethnic composition across armed services. There are more blacks in the Army than in any of the other armed services, blacks comprised 21.1% of active duty Army personnel. Although the greatest number of individuals who identify as Hispanic are in the Army, the greatest proportion of Hispanics are in the Marine Corps, where they make up 13.1% of all active duty personnel. The greatest overall numbers and proportion of Asians are in the Navy, where they make up 5.7% of active duty personnel. Among whites, the greatest numbers are in the Army, but the greatest proportion is in the Coast Guard, where whites make up 79% of active duty personnel. Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, the greatest numbers and proportion are in the Navy, where they comprise 3.8% of active duty personnel. Today, nearly 5% of the armed forces is comprised of immigrants, two-thirds of whom are naturalized citizens. Like native-born Americans, immigrants living in the United States, including undocumented immigrants, are required to register with the Selective Service. Given that no draft currently exists, and that immigrants in today‘s military are all volunteers, service in the military is often a way to expedite citizenship proceedings for those who serve. In July 2002, President Bush used his authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to expedite the citizenship of non-citizens who had been serving honorably in the military since September 11,2001. Since that time, more than 37,250 immigrants serving in the military have become United States citizens and 111 have been given posthumous citizenship. The National Defense Authorization Act, passed in November of 2003, also allows naturalizations to take place outside of the United States, thereby allowing military personnel serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan to become United States citizens while serving abroad.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 16:20:51 +0000
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