April 27, 2018:  The United States ended the draft for military service in 1973, transitioning to the all-volunteer force that exists today. At the time, the active component of the military comprised 2.2 million men and women. Now, this group comprises just under 1.29 million, or less than 0.5 percent of the U.S. population. The U.S. Council on Foreign Relations has broken down the demographics to answer:  Who are they? Where are they from? How diverse are they?  Among the findings: Today, women represent 16 percent of enlisted forces, and 18 percent of the officer corps.

Read full article: Demographics of the U.S. Military (Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org)