Even as the Pentagon plans significant troop reductions, the U.S. Armed Forces remain by far the most powerful and most expensive military in the world.
But who makes up America's over 1.3 million active personnel and its over 800,000 reserves, and how is the composition of the military changing?
To answer these questions, we turned primarily to data from a 2012 Department of Defense report.
One of the notable trends is a rise in minority officers, though minority groups are still underrepresented among officers.
Since 1995, the Army, Marines, and Coast Guard have grown in active duty members, while the Air Force and Navy have shrunk.
Nearly half of all military personnel are associated with the Army, whether in Active Duty, Reserves, or National Guard.
84% of military members are enlisted.
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