Chapter 8 - Characteristics of Active Component Enlisted Force

Race/Ethnicity. The distribution of race/ethnicity by gender for FY 1999 USCG and overall DoD Active Component enlisted members along with the applicable civilian comparison group is shown in Table 8.3. Relative to the comparable civilian population, the USCG enlisted force was more likely to be White (81 and 70 percent, respectively) and less likely to be Black (7 and 13 percent, respectively) or Hispanic (also 7 and 13 percent, respectively). Furthermore, compared to the overall DoD enlisted force, the USCG is more likely to enlist Whites and less likely to enlist minorities, particularly Blacks (7 percent Blacks in the USCG vs. 22 percent Blacks in the DoD).

Table 8.3. Race/Ethnicity by Gender of FY 1999 USCG and DoD Active Component Enlisted Members and Civilians 1824 Years Old (Percent)
Race/Ethnicity			Coast Guard						DoD
			Male		Female		Total		Male	Female		Total
			ACTIVE COMPONENT ENLISTED MEMBERS
White			82.0		74.2		81.2		64.9	50.3		62.8
Black			6.2		12.3		6.8		20.2	34.9		22.3
Hispanic			7.2		7.2		7.2		8.6	8.2		8.5
Other			4.6		6.3		4.8		6.4	6.6		6.4
Total			100.0		100.0		100.0		100.0	100.0		100.0
Civilians 1844 Years Old
White	Black	Hispanic		Other		Total		Male			Female
70.1	12.6	12.5		4.8		100.0		53.5			46.5
Columns may not add to total due to rounding. Also see Appendix Tables B-25 (Active Component Enlisted Members by Race/Ethnicity, Service, and Gender) and E-15 (Coast Guard Active Component Enlisted Members by Race/Ethnicity and Gender).

Education. Overall, enlisted members of the USCG and DoD, as a whole, were more likely than the comparable civilian group to have high school graduation credentials, but the civilians were more likely to have college experience (Table 8.4). While the USCG participates in tuition assistance programs and the Montgomery GI Bill, the enlisted members of the USCG were less likely than the overall DoD group to have college experience. However, it should be noted that the percentage of individuals with college experience in the overall DoD was skewed; the percentage of enlisted personnel reporting college experience, by Service, ranges from 3 percent to 92 percent. Comparisons of enlisted members in the USCG and the Navy show that they had the same rate, on average, of post-secondary education (5 percent). Enlisted jobs do not require college experience and thus are generally comparable to civilian occupations not needing college education.

Table 8.4. Age and Education Level of FY 1999 USCG and DoD Active Component Enlisted Members and Civilians (Percent)
Age	Coast Guard	DoD	Civilian Comparison
Age	Coast Guard	DoD	Civilian Labor Force 17 and Older
1719	7.2	11.3	4.9
2024	29.0	34.5	10.0
2529	21.3	20.1	11.1
3034	15.5	14.3	12.0
3539	18.3	13.7	13.6
4044	7.3	4.9	13.8
4549	1.2	1.1	11.8
50+	0.3	0.2	22.7
Unknown	0.0	**	0.0
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0
Education Level			18- to 44-Year-Old Civilians*
Tier1: Regular High School Graduate or Higher	95.8	96.0	88.6
Tier 2: GED, Alternative Credentials	3.1	3.3	88.6
Tier 3: No Credentials	1.1	0.7	11.5
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0
College Experience (Part of Tier 1)	5.1	27.8	55.5
Columns may not add to total due to rounding. * Civilian numbers/percentages for education combine Tiers 1 and 2 as civilian data include GED certificates with high school graduate rates. ** Less than one-tenth of one percent. Also see Appendix Tables B-23 (Active Component Enlisted Members by Age Group, Service, and Gender), B-27 (Active Component Enlisted Members by Education, Service, and Gender), E-14 (Coast Guard Active Component Enlisted Members by Age Group and Gender), and E-16 (Coast Guard Active Component Enlisted Members by Education, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity).

Representation Within Occupation. The representation of USCG enlisted force by race/ethnicity and gender in occupational areas with the overall DoD rates for comparison is presented in Table 8.5. The USCG is unique in that all occupations are open to both men and womenno combat restrictions, but women were still underrepresented in the infantry, gun crews, and seamanship specialties compared to men in the USCG (9 and 26 percent, respectively). Restructuring of the Coast Guards aviation rating from late FY 1997 through FY 1999 has led to some changes in occupational area distributions during this time. The most notable differences have been an increase in the number of positions classified as infantry, gun crews, and seamanship with a corresponding decrease in electrical/mechanical equipment repair.

Historically, all new USCG enlisted members were directly assigned to field units before attending specialty training in the A-schools where the introductory job-specific training courses are taught. Presently, an effort is being made to assign more recruits directly to A-schools in critical specialties. Approximately 15 percent of USCG recruits go directly to advanced training after basic training. A USCG member is admitted to any A‑school for which he or she is qualified based on the individuals ASVAB scores. [1] Training takes place as openings become available, which may explain the higher percentage of non-occupationals in the USCG enlisted force compared to the overall DoD (18 and 7 percent, respectively).

Table 8.5. Occupational Areas of FY 1999 USCG and DoD Active Component Enlisted Personnel by Race/Ethnicity and Gender (Percent)
Occupational Code and Area		Coast Guard							DoD Total
Occupational Code and Area		Male	Female	White	Black	Hispanic	Other	USCG Total	DoD Total
0	Infantry, Gun Crews, and Seamanship Specialists	26.1	9.0	26.6	6.9	18.5	20.4	24.4	17.0
1	Electronic Equipment Repairers	11.1	5.0	10.6	7.6	11.2	11.4	10.5	9.4
2	Communications and Intelligence Specialists	5.5	7.2	5.6	7.4	6.1	5.5	5.7	9.0
3	Medical and Dental Specialists	2.3	5.3	2.2	4.7	3.8	3.9	2.6	6.9
4	Other Allied Specialists	5.3	4.0	5.4	3.8	3.9	5.5	5.2	3.0
5	Functional Support and Administration	12.4	36.7	12.2	40.7	18.4	17.8	14.8	16.0
6	Electrical/Mechanical Equipment Repairers	6.5	2.1	5.9	7.6	6.5	6.6	6.1	19.8
7	Craftsmen	13.8	3.5	13.3	8.0	12.2	11.1	12.8	3.5
8	Service and Supply Handlers	0.1	**	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	8.5
9	Non-Occupational*	16.9	27.2	18.2	13.3	19.4	17.8	17.9	6.9
Total		100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Columns may not add to total due to rounding. * Non-occupational includes patients, students, those with unassigned duties, and unknowns. ** Less than one-tenth of one percent. Also see Appendix Tables B-29 (Active Component Enlisted Members by Occupational Area, Service, and Gender) and E-17 (Coast Guard Active Component Enlisted Members by Occupational Area, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity).

[1] USCG Frequently Asked Questions About Recruiting. URL: http://www.uscg.mil/jobs/faq.htm.

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