The Army continues to roll toward an active-component personnel strength of 490,000 soldiers by the end of fiscal 2015 on Sept. 30, but that high-speed reduction slowed to a crawl in January.
The Pentagon's most recent headcount of the Regular Army shows that 498,401 soldiers were on active duty Jan. 31, which is only 241 fewer than on Dec. 31, but a whopping 24,600 fewer than Jan. 31, 2014.
Statistics compiled by the Defense Manpower Data Center also indicate that the Army's reserve components had a combined strength of 547,376, which is 369 more than in December.
There were 349,379 soldiers serving with the Army National Guard, and 197,997 with the Army Reserve on Jan. 31. In recent months, both components have encouraged departing Regular Army soldiers to join their ranks when they leave active duty.
Women comprise nearly 14 percent of the Regular Army, with 15,982 officers, 52,967 enlisted soldiers and 767 West Point cadets, according to demographic information compiled by the data center.
