In April 2024, 13.1% of people in non-officer roles in the armed forces were from ethnic minorities, compared with 7.9% in April 2012.

The graph illustrates the number of personnel in each branch of the U.S. Military for the year 2025. The x-axis lists the military branches: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The y-axis represents the number of personnel, ranging from 41,477 to 449,265. Among the branches, the Army has the highest number of personnel with 449,265, followed by the Navy with 333,794 and the Air Force with 317,675. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard have 168,628 and 41,477 personnel, respectively. The data is displayed in a bar graph format, effectively highlighting the distribution of military personnel across the different branches.

In 2023, around 21.3 percent of active duty officers in the United States Navy were women. Additionally, approximately 19.4 percent of officers in the Space Force were women.

The U.S. Army remains the largest branch of the American military, with 449,344 active duty personnel in 2023. While the Army leads in numbers, the newly established Space Force had just 8,879 active duty members, highlighting the evolving nature of modern warfare and the increasing importance of space-based capabilities. Confidence in military remains high Despite fluctuations in force size, public trust in the U.S. military remains strong. In 2024, 61 percent of Americans expressed a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the armed forces, a slight increase from the previous year. While a slightly higher share of Republicans have shown more confidence in the military, trust in the institution remains high across party lines. Global commitments The United States continues to invest heavily in its military capabilities, with defense spending reaching 916.02 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. This substantial budget supports not only domestic defense needs but also enables the U.S. to respond to global crises, as evidenced by the over 40 billion euros in military aid provided to Ukraine following Russia's invasion. The high level of spending, which translates to about 2,220 U.S. dollars per capita.

Population monitoring is essential to assess, manage and protect threatened species. Although the South Pacific loggerhead turtle subpopulation is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN, monitoring data are scarce. This study reports the results of the first long-term monitoring of the nesting population of loggerhead turtles held by Bwärä Tortues Marines on La Roche Percée beach, New Caledonia. From 2006 to 2020, Capture Mark Recapture was used to identify nesting individuals. Time and nesting success were recorded on site. A total of 452 different females were observed and tagged over 14 years. The number of different nesting individuals observed each year showed a significant increase along the timeframe of the study. A remigration interval of 3.34 years was observed and the overall nesting success was 59.02%. This study also reports the inter-nesting intervals, monthly and hourly variabilities in the visits at the nesting site. The conservation actions led by Bwärä Tortues Marines seem to be correlated with a higher nesting success. This study provides encouraging results and highlights the need to pursue the monitoring and conservation actions implemented by Bwärä Tortues Marines. Further management recommendations are also provided. Methods Overview Over 14 years (2006-2020), daily patrols were implemented throughout each nesting season (from November to March). The timing and activities of the loggerhead turtles were monitored. Study site The study was conducted on La Roche Percée, a sandy beach in the Bay of La Roche Percée, New Caledonia (-21.612831, 165.463286). This site is included in a marine protected area registered under the natural reserve status (Decree n° 33-1993/APS 1993 and 293-99/PS, 1999). The beach is oriented South-west and is 2.5 km in length starting from a stand-up rock at the North-western end, to the mouth of the Néra river at the South-eastern end. The Néra river brings dark sediments directly to the beach of La Roche Percée resulting in darker sand compared to nearby beaches. La Roche Percée bay faces a large break in the barrier reef surrounding the area, allowing waves but also marine megafauna to enter the lagoon. At high tide, the beach is 20m (meters) wide in the middle and 100m wide at the northern and southern ends. During the hot and humid season (November to March) the beach can be submerged by water due to extreme weather events. The only access to La Roche Percée is a road over a dam on its northern shore – blocking the northern bank of the Nera river. Vegetation near the road partially protects the beach from anthropogenic light sources (cars and houses) and there are no street lights in this area. Sand replenishment work took place in 2011 (during the time of this study but not during the nesting season) at the vegetation margin to widen the beach and counter beach erosion. The sand was taken from the Néra river but was not washed and sieved causing its compaction on some parts of the beach, resulting in the inability of turtles to dig in these areas. This compacted area was high on the beach at the margin of the vegetation and was partially covered with sand and vines (Ipomoea pescaprae). The bay is also famous for being one of the most important surf spots in New Caledonia and is one of the main leisure sites, attracting many locals and tourists all year long. Although pets are prohibited inside the reserve following a government decree put in place in 2009, dogs are regularly seen on the beach. In the bay, a second beach named La Baie des Tortues (i.e. Turtle Bay, -21.60655, 165.45478, 280m in length = 1/5 of La Roche Percée) is located 100m north of La Roche Percée beach. The beaches are separated by a high rocky spit. This beach was not monitored during the night as the steep and slippery path leading to it would represent a safety hazard for the team working without light. Monitoring and data collection The walking patrol covered the 2.5km of the study site, walking back and forth between the two ends of the beach. Each turtle activity on the beach of La Roche Percée was recorded from November 2006 to March 2020 (14 nesting seasons) by members of Bwärä Tortues Marines. Two patrol sessions were conducted on the beach every day during the nesting seasons: (1) in the evening, usually conducted from 8 pm to 1 am (i.e. night shift), which enabled monitoring of the nesting females encountered on the beach, (2) in the morning (i.e. morning shift) starting at dawn, for 2 to 5 hours, and allowing an exhaustive count of all nesting activities throughout the night. The duration of a patrol could vary if a turtle or a track was detected by a member of Bwärä Tortues Marine before or after the usual hours. For example, if a turtle was spotted at 00:50 am the patrol team stayed on site until the female completed her nesting cycle. Sometimes, turtles crawled on the beach one after the other and the patrol team had to work until dawn. Only extreme weather conditions such as rain downpours or cyclonic alerts led to the cancellation of a patrol (on average eight patrols per year).
During the night shift, one or two teams composed of an eco-guard and trained volunteers walked without light alongside the high-water line, searching for turtle tracks. The number of teams deployed depended on the number of volunteers available. When a track was noticed, the team stopped and remained immobile while trying to locate the individual. The team followed the track in a way which meant they were unnoticed by the turtle (e.g., crawling). Observers were able to determine the precise nesting phase by seeing or hearing the turtle. The nesting phases include: ascending the beach, making a body pit (multiple body pit attempts could be undertaken before the next stage), digging the egg chamber, laying eggs, filling the egg chamber, covering the body pit, and returning to the surf (for precise descriptions of the nesting phases see Hailman & Elowson, 1992). To avoid disturbance, the turtles were approached after the beginning of the egg-laying phase, from the back and without light. During the data collection, a red light was eventually used for a short time only and never toward the head of the turtle. If the individual was found returning to the sea, the data were gathered while the turtle stopped to breathe. Data collection included: individual identification and carapace length measure, date, time, location, and nesting phase. The morning shift consisted mainly of recording all the activities that happened during the late part of the night. It always started at dawn to maximize the chances of meeting the last turtles of the night, to protect those individuals from potential disturbances (i.e. beach visitors or dogs), and to be sure to record all turtle activities. A later start could have led to the loss of data due to rising tides, strong winds, or beach users who could have erased the tracks. Activities were defined using the sand cues as above. The date, time, and location of the activity were recorded. Each track (crawling tracks, body pit, and mound) was then wiped off so as not to count it a second time during the following night and to hide the nest. Individuals were identified using Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR). Every studied individual was tagged with a titanium tag (Titanium Turtle Tag, Stockbrands, Australia) on the trailing edge of the front flipper, in the skin between the first and the second scales adjacent to the axilla following recommendations published in Limpus (1992). During the first five seasons, most of the individuals were tagged on both left and right front flippers, following which it was reduced to one tag, placed on the left flipper, to minimize individuals' stress. Following the CMR protocol, if turtles did not have a tag, they were tagged and considered as Captures (C). Individuals already tagged were considered as Recaptures (R). Individuals could be recaptured from earlier in the same nesting season or from previous nesting seasons. Individual tags were read at the end of the egg-laying phase or during the next phases to minimize disturbance. A few turtles were tagged before this study and observed between 2006 and 2020 (n=9, Limpus, Boyle & Sunderland, 2006). They were included as recaptures in the results. In 2011/2012, the titanium tags were substituted with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags (Animal Electronic I.D. Systems, Australia). After one season the PIT tag project was considered too intrusive and no longer used. Only one female was tagged with a titanium tag during this season. Each individual studied by the team was measured using the minimum Curved Carapace Length method (Wyneken, 2001) and physical anomalies were recorded. The location of the nest or the nesting attempt was recorded during night and morning sifts. A triangulation method was used to record location from the season 2006/2007 to the season 2016/2017. First, electric poles along the road allowed the team to obtain an approximate location of the nest. Then, precise location of the nest was obtained using triangulation made with salient field cues (e.g., tree, rocks). Since 2017/2018 onwards GPS were used. If the turtle had already left the beach (i.e. back to the sea), its activity was recorded using visual cues on the sand. The activity was considered a “nesting success” when the pit was filled with disturbed sand, indicating that the individual went through all the nesting phases and laid its eggs (Hailman & Elowson, 1992). The activity was considered as an aborted nesting attempt (also called “false crawl”) when the cues showed either (1) an attempt: the individual went through the first phases of the nesting process but stopped before laying its egg, during either the body pit or the digging of the chamber steps, or (2) a turnaround: the individual ascended the beach, stopped, turned around and returned to the sea (continuous

Original provider: Matthew Witt, University of Exeter

Dataset credits: Matthew Witt, University of Exeter

Abstract: We present data spanning approximately 100 years regarding the spatial and temporal occurrence of marine turtle sightings and strandings in the northeast Atlantic from two public recording schemes and demonstrate potential signals of changing population status. Records of loggerhead (n = 317) and Kemp’s ridley (n = 44) turtles occurring on the European continental shelf were most prevalent during the autumn and winter, when waters were coolest. In contrast, endothermic leatherback turtles (n = 1,668) were most common during the summer. Analysis of the spatial distribution of hard-shell marine turtle sightings and strandings highlights a pattern of decreasing records with increasing latitude. The spatial distribution of sighting and stranding records indicates that arrival in waters of the European continental shelf is most likely driven by North Atlantic current systems. Future patterns of spatial-temporal distribution, gathered from the periphery of juvenile marine turtles habitat range, may allow for a broader assessment of the future impacts of global climate change on species range and population size.

Purpose: We set out to determine the spatial and temporal trends for sightings, strandings and captures of hard-shell marine turtles in the northeast Atlantic from two recording schemes. One recording scheme (presented here) included marine turtle sightings, strandings and captures occurring in French waters that originated from annual sightings and strandings publications of Duguy and colleagues (Duguy 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2004; Duguy et al. 1997a, b, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003). Records presented in Duguy publications prior to 2001 contained location descriptions, providing no geographic coordinates with error estimates. Longitude and latitude positions for these events were estimated to be the closest coastal point to the descriptive location. Duguy publications, 2001 onwards, were accompanied by maps displaying the approximate location of sightings and strandings events. These maps were digitized and georeferenced and coordinate positions determined for all appropriate records. Georefenced hard-shell turtle (Lk and Cc) capture/sighting/stranding records from the papers of Duguy for France 1990-2003 (featured in Witt et al. 2007) only includes records that could have coordinates derived from their locational descriptions. The second recording scheme used were records of sightings and strandings of marine turtles in the British Isles obtained from the TURTLE database operated by Marine Environmental Monitoring. Data from the TURTLE database were submitted to EurOBIS and can be viewed on OBIS-SEAMAP: Marine Turtles.

Supplemental information: Abstract is from Witt et al. 2007; data included in this dataset are a subset of data presented in Witt et al. 2007. References: Duguy, R. 1990. Observations de tortues marines en 1990 (Manche et Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 7:1053–1057. Duguy, R. 1992. Observations de tortues marines en 1991 (Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:35–37. Duguy, R. 1993. Observations de tortues marines en 1992 (Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:129–131. Duguy, R. 1994. Observations de tortues marines en 1993 (Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:235–238. Duguy, R. 1995. Observations de tortues marines en 1994 (Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:403–406. Duguy, R. 1996. Observations de tortues marines en 1995 (Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:505–513. Duguy, R. 2004. Observations de tortues marines en 2003 (cotes Atlantiques). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 9:361–366. Duguy, R., P. Moriniere and A. Meunier. 1997a. Observations de tortues marines en 1997. Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:761–779. Duguy, R., P. Moriniere and M.A. Spano. 1997b. Observations de tortues marines en 1996 (Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:625–632. Duguy, R., P. Moriniere and A. Meunier. 1999. Observations de tortues marines en 1998 (Atlantique). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime:911–924. Duguy, R., P. Moriniere and A. Meunier. 2000. Observations de tortues marines en 1999. Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 8:1025–1034. Duguy R, P. Moriniere and A. Meunier. 2001. Observations tortues marines en 2000 (Atlantique et Manche). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 9:17–25. Duguy, R., P. Moriniere and A. Meunier. 2002. Observations de tortues marines en 2001 (Atlantique et Manche). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 9. Duguy, R., P. Moriniere and A. Meunier. 2003. Observations de tortues marines en 2002 (Atlantique et Manche). Annales de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de la Charente-Maritime 9:265–273.

This service provides information on the population density of the three-toe gull (Rissa tridactyla) in the German offshore areas based on a 10x10 km grid (EU-GRID). The density [individuals/km²] is determined for each grid cell by adding the individual number of counting points within the respective grid cell and dividing it by the sum of the effort at the counting points. Individual layers show divided by season (art-specific according to Garthe S, Sonntag N, Schwemmer P, Dierschke V (2007) Estimation of seabirdnumbers in the German North Sea throughout the annual cycle and their biogeographic importance. Bird life 128: 163-178) the distribution of each seabird in each year. The data are based on seabird recordings carried out as part of the BfN monitoring programme.

This service provides information on the population density of the mantle gull (Larus marinus) in the German offshore areas based on a 10x10 km grid (EU-GRID). The density [individuals/km²] is determined for each grid cell by adding the individual number of counting points within the respective grid cell and dividing it by the sum of the effort at the counting points. Individual layers show divided by season (art-specific according to Garthe S, Sonntag N, Schwemmer P, Dierschke V (2007) Estimation of seabirdnumbers in the German North Sea throughout the annual cycle and their biogeographic importance. Bird life 128: 163-178) the distribution of each seabird in each year. The data are based on seabird recordings carried out as part of the BfN monitoring programme.

This dataset is part of the 2018 Belgian submission for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) linked to descriptor 1, criterion 2. The Raja clavata dataset describes the results of the Offshore Beam Trawl Surveys (BTS) in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) between 2010 and 2017. Occurrences of Raja Clavata, along with dates and locations, are reported. The codes used in the attached file are based on the ICES DATRAS (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Database of Trawl Surveys) standard. The seabirds dataset describes the density of seabirds (N birds/km) observed in the BPNS between 1987 and 2016 (three surveys a year).

Ce service fournit des informations sur la densité de population des plongeurs auriculaires (Podiceps auritus) dans les zones offshore allemandes basées sur une grille de 10x10 km (EU-GRID). La densité [individu/km²] est déterminée pour chaque cellule de grille en additionnant le nombre d’individus de points de comptage à l’intérieur de la cellule quadrillée respective et en divisant par la somme de l’effort aux points de comptage. Les couches individuelles sont divisées par saison (spécifique par Garthe S, Dimanche N, Schwemmer P, Dierschke V (2007) Estimation of seabirdnumbers in the German North Sea throughout the annual cycle and their biogeographic importance. Le monde des oiseaux 128: 163-178) la répartition des oiseaux marins au cours de chaque année. Les données sont basées sur les relevés d’oiseaux de mer effectués dans le cadre du programme de suivi du BfN.

Depuis 1974, le service hygiène du milieu de la direction départementale des affaires sanitaires et sociales effectue durant la saison estivale, la surveillance sanitaire des eaux de baignade en mer. Afin de compléter ce suivi et d'identifier l'origine de la dégradation du milieu, des mesures ont été effectuées sur les principaux rejets littoraux. Ainsi, ces bilans annuels ont permis de localiser des zones sensibles pour lesquelles des efforts doivent être engagés afin de résorber les sources de contaminations. La frange littorale des communes de Donville les Bains, Granville et St Pair sur Mer constitue une zone prioritaire d'intervention compte-tenu de la concentration de population en période estivale. La qualité de l'environnement devenant un critère de choix important, si ce n'est prédominant pour le touriste, il est impératif de songer dès à présent à la protection du milieu marin afin de maintenir le potentiel touristique de cette région. L'étude réalisée au cours de la saison estivale vient donc compléter le contrôle mis en oeuvre dans le cadre des campagnes de surveillance des eaux balnéaires. Des points de mesure ont été créés à différents niveaux des cours d'eau afin de mesurer l'impact des activités exercées dans les bassins correspondants. Référence BNOOUV00002901

At the end of the fiscal year of 2024, it is estimated that there will be ** Generals serving the United States Army, and a total of ******* enlisted personnel. Military personnel The military departments in the United States are: the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guards. The President of the United States is the military’s overall head and forms the military policy with the U.S. Department of Defense. The U.S. military is one of the largest militaries in term of number of personnel. The largest branch of the United States Armed Forces is the United States Army. The United States Army is responsible for land-based military operations. The active duty U.S. Army personnel number has decreased from 2010 to 2021. In 2010, there were ******* active duty U.S. Army members, as compared to ******* in 2021. The number of active duty U.S. Navy personnel has decreased slowly over the past 20 years. In 2021, there were ******* active duty Navy members in the United States Navy. The United States Navy personnel are enlisted sailors, commissioned officers, and midshipmen. Sailors have to take part in Personnel Qualification Standards, to prove that they have mastered skills. The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States. The active duty U.S. Air Force personnel numbers also decreased between 1995 and 2015, although has started to increase slightly since 2015. The number decreased again in 2021, when the Air Force had ******* personnel.

The United States' war in Vietnam was its largest direct conflict during the period known as the Cold War. Approximately 40 percent of the entire U.S. military served in Southeast Asia over the course of the Vietnam War, and over 75 percent of these served directly in South Vietnam. The conflict was central to U.S. anti-communist foreign policy during this period, however the U.S. maintained a significant military presence in strategic regions across the globe, such as West Germany, Taiwan, and South Korea.

The Army and Marine Corps were represented in Southeast Asia and South Vietnam in greater proportion than in the U.S. military overall. The Army made up around two-thirds of the personnel serving in Vietnam, while being approximately half of the total U.S. servicemembers during this period.