Defense and security articles
What does the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) do?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a cabinet-level executive branch agency responsible for providing healthcare services, benefits programs, and access to national cemeteries for the nation's veterans and their dependents. It was established as the Veterans Administration in 1930 and elevated to cabinet status in 1989.
Who are the nation’s veterans?
As of 2023, 15.8 million Americans identified as veterans. The number of living veterans in the United States is declining — but the veteran population is growing more diverse.
How does the government support veterans?
Over 93% of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ annual spending funds pensions, compensation, medical care, and education programs for veterans.
How is the standard of living changing for veterans?
Veterans in the US earn higher incomes and have lower unemployment and poverty rates than the general population.
How many people have died in the US military, and how?
Over 80% of active-duty military deaths since 1980 have come from accidents, illness, and suicides.
Sexual assault reports increased 28% at US military academies in 2022
Twenty-one percent of female cadets and 4% of male cadets said they’d experienced unwanted sexual contact in the 2021–22 school year.
How has military enlistment changed?
After decades of declining military applications and enrollments, the military expects to exceed 2025 recruiting goals.
How much does the US spend on the Space Force?
The first new branch of the US military since 1947, Space Force was established to protect the United States’ interests in space amid a growing spectrum of threats.
How many military spouses are employed by the federal government?
Military spouses, 90.3% of whom are women, are more likely to be unemployed than the general population.