This movie was the first ever movie screenplay especially written and tailored for actress Goldie Hawn.
Off-duty service men and women were used as extras for the war games and basic training sequences as the replica basic training course was so authentic.
First film as a producer (an executive) for actress Goldie Hawn. Hawn said of this in the biography 'Pure Goldie: The Life and Times of Goldie Hawn' by Marc Shapiro: "I didn't plan on becoming a producer... I only wanted to create better roles for myself, and I loved the idea of Private Benjamin so much that I felt it would be the perfect opportunity to finally control my own destiny."
Although their characters are portrayed as enemies in this film Goldie Hawn was very good friends with Eileen Brennan in real life and the two remained close until Brennan's death.