Are active duty military considered veterans?

The United States is celebrating Veterans Day on November 11, a holiday established in 1919 initially as Armistice Day. The date commemorates the armistice (ceasefire) that ended World War I, which took effect on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

Under US law, a veteran is defined as a “person who served in the active military, naval, air, or space service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.” With this definition, those who are actively serving in the military do not fall under the category of a veteran.

According to Pew Research, in 2021, there were around 19 million veterans in the US. The greatest share of these veterans (41%), served in the Gulf War.

How many active military members are there in the United States?

According to USAfacts.org, there were 1.3 million active duty military members in the US in 2021, an increase of 0.15% or 2,026 members from 2020. Around 14% of these members are women.

Which countries spend the most on their military?

Source:Visual Capitalist

China spends the second most in the world and by comparison, only allocated $292 billion dollars, followed by Russia which spends less than 10% of the US budget at $86.4 billion. Russia’s spending however, has increased, and has overtaken India, which used to have the third-largest military budget.

How many foreign military bases are there in the world?

One large cost incurred by the military is the maintenance of bases outside the country. The United States has around 750 military bases across eighty countries. With 120 bases, Japan has the highest number of bases within its borders. The US has deployed 173,000 troops in 159 different countries, as of July 2021.

Which countries have the most US military bases?