POSITION PAPER
ON
THE AIR FORCE PROMOTING DIVERSITY AMONGST THE RANKS
1. The United States Air Force (AF), a military institution known for its cutting edge innovation and initiatives is seemingly struggling when it comes to diversity. The lack of diversity in organizations in general is nothing new. In fact, many private institutions struggle to some degree to create an environment where diversity is prevalent. However, the AF has never operated like many organizations. With that being said, why is it the AF is unable to break the stigma of not doing enough to promote diversity amongst the ranks? Is it inconceivable that those that happen to hold the top ranks in the AF simply are the top performers? Regardless, the demographics alone
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Numbers do not lie. Simply looking at the statistics, it is very telling the AF is not diverse enough. Of the individuals that reported, 72 percent of the AF is comprised of Caucasians. Further examining the statistical demographics unveils only one-fifth of the AF is comprised of female Airmen.4 An even more telling story is the AF leadership at the top. According to Tom Vanden Brook of USA Today, “The Air Force has 280 generals, but just 18 of them belong to minority groups. That includes two Hispanic officers, or less than one percent of the total. The thirteen African-American generals make up four percent of the Air Force 's general officer corps.”5 For a service that has been around for nearly 70 years, it is difficult to understand how the leadership of the service has not been more diverse. Promotion rates, which directly tie into higher levels of leadership, reveal Caucasian officers are statistically more likely to get promoted in-the-zone than their minority counter-parts.6 This directly ties into a minority’s lack of opportunities to get promoted into the general ranks, as late promotions reflect on an individual’s “whole-person” perception. Numbers are too difficult to ignore and the data heavily demonstrates the AF is lacking when it comes to diversity. However, numbers only tell part of the story and they have to be put into perspective in order to fully accept them as the …show more content…
Stephen Losely, “Soon to retire, vice Chief Gen. Larry Spencer never forgot his roots as ‘one-striper’,” Air Force Times, 4 August 2015, 2016 http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/ military/2015/08/04/soon-retire-vice-chief-gen-larry-spencer-never-forgot-his-roots-one-striper/30842693/
2. U.S. Air Force, “General Lori J. Robinson,” Biographies, http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/ Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/108119/general-lori-j-robinson.aspx (accessed 25 April 2016)
3. Kellan Howell, “Obama tabs Air Force general as first woman combatant commander,” The Washington Times, 18 March 2016, http://www.washingtontimes.com /news/2016/mar/18/us-gen-lori-robinson-nominated-become-first-woman-/
4. Air Force Personnel Center, “Air Force Personnel Demographics,” Library, http:// www.afpc.af.mil/library/airforcepersonneldemographics.asp (accessed 25 April 2016)
5. Tom Vanden Brook, “Air Force leadership lacks diversity,” USA Today, 3 May 2015, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/03/air-force-diversity/26731691/
6. Stephen Losely, “Race and the Air Force: The truth about how minorities get promoted,” Air Force Times, 1 March 2016, http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/