Non-Citizens in Today's Military
Abstract
Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) are eligible to enlist in the military and have done so successfully since the Revolutionary War. In fact, roughly 35,000 non-citizens are serving in the active military, and about 8,000 enlist each year. As the military services continue to face a difficult recruiting environment, it is important to recognize the growth in the youth population due to immigration and the potential for success of non-citizen servicemembers. Non-citizen servicemembers offer several benefits to the military. First, they are more diverse than citizen recruits not just racially and ethnically, but also linguistically and culturally. This diversity is particularly valuable as the United States faces the challenges of the Global War on Terrorism. Second, we find that non-citizens do extremely well in the military. In fact, black, Asian and Pacific Islander (API), and Hispanic non-citizens have 3-month attrition rates that are 7 to 8 percentage points below those for white citizens. Furthermore, noncitizens have 36-month attrition rates that are 9 to 20 percentage points lower than the attrition rates of white citizens. Since 9/11, several changes in policy and practice have taken place that may encourage more non-citizens to consider military service for example, the executive order allowing non-citizens serving in the U.S. military to apply for expedited citizenship after only 1 day of active-duty service.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA593990
Entities
People
- Aline O. Quester
- Anita U. Hattiangadi
- Diana S. Lien
- Gary Lee
- Ian D. Macleod
Organizations
- Center for Naval Analyses