The Military: The US Navy
9 Admirals and 37 Vice Admirals
Naval Leadership is overwhelmingly male.
In 2022, Naval Admiral Christopher Grady serves as the Vice Chmn of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Two other Naval Admirals are Commanders in the Unified Command. There are 6 Admirals heading the US Navy.
None of these top Naval Admirals are women.
(0 out of 9 – 0%)
Women are 5% of Vice Admirals in the Navy
Of the 37 active duty Vice Admirals in the US Navy, two are women. Vice Admiral Kelly A. Aeschbach currently serves as the commander of U.S. Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR), and Vice Admiral Lisa Marie Franchetti serves as director for strategy, plans, and policy of the Joint Staff.
2 of the 37 Vice Admirals are women. (5%)
2 out of 37 = 5%
Women fill lower officer ranks, but not Admiral ranks
In January 2019, the US Navy released an updated report of the demographics – especially by gender and race – of all active duty Naval officers and enlisted members. In the enlisted ranks, 56,300 women serve alongside 224,300 men. Among officers of all ranks, 10,400 female officers serve out of a total of 54,200 total officers – making women 19% of total Naval officers, and 25% of the total active duty US Navy.
When top officers are considered, the numbers get ever smaller. Officer grades 01-06 (Ensign through Captain) are 19.2% women, while the upper grades of 07-10 (Rear Admiral Lower Half, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral and Admiral) are just 18 women of 221 top officers – just 8.1%.
Officer grades 07-10: 18 out of 221 = 8.1%
| Officer Grade # | Rank Name |
|---|---|
| 10 | Admiral |
| 09 | Vice Admiral |
| 08 | Rear Admiral |
| 07 | Rear Admiral Lower Half |
| 06 | Captain |
| 05 | Commander |
| 04 | Lt Commander |
| 03 | Lt |
| 02 | Lt Jr Grade |
Most female Naval officers are in the medical field
According to CNN, 46% of all female officers in the Navy are in the medical field, compared with 39% of female officers in the military overall.
Historically, 14 women in the US Navy have achieved Vice Admiral rank.
Fourteen women have ever achieved the rank of Vice Admiral of the US Navy. Four of these were actively serving in 2019, according to the Navy Demographics Report.
Admiral Michelle Janine Howard Made Waves in the US Navy
In 2014, Michelle Janine Howard was the first woman to hold the rank of a US Navy four-star Admiral, as Vice Chief of Naval Operations, as well as becoming the first African-American to hold this post. Adm Howard had also been the first African-American woman to command a US Navy ship (the USS Rushmore in 1999), and the first to be selected for two-star and three-star rank. Howard was also the first ever female graduate of the Naval Academy to achieve flag rank. In addition, Adm Howard was the first ever female four-star Admiral to command operational forces, commanding both US Naval Forces Europe and Africa. During this command, she led a multi-national counter-piracy task force in the Indian Ocean and was instrumental in rescuing Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates.
Admiral Howard retired in December 2017 after serving for 36 years. She is currently a professor of International Affairs at George Washington University and on the Board of Directors of IBM.
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Navy Releases 2018 Personal and Professional Choices Survey Results
From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The 2018 Personal and Professional Choices Survey results were released by the Chief of Naval Personnel's office of inclusion and diversity, July 25.
What will it take for women to get into the Power Percentage of Officers and Leaders of the United States Navy?