Air Force leadership lacks diversity

2015-05-04T10:45:28-04:00

From: Air Force Times

WASHINGTON — The senior leadership of the Air Force remains largely white and male despite an emphasis on diversity in the service and throughout the military, according to data and interviews with service leaders.

The Air Force has 280 generals, but just 18 of them belong to minority groups. That includes two Hispanic officers, or less than 1% of the total. The 13 African-American generals make up 4% of the Air Force's general officer corps.

The Pentagon's other branches, including the Army, share the same struggle to diversify their forces, a priority of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. A key concern for the Army resides in the lack of minority officers leading its combat battalions and brigades. That's where lieutenant colonels and colonels are groomed for top leadership jobs, indicating the lack of diversity among combat leaders could persist for years.

The Air Force has a similar problem among its wing commanders. Commanding a wing is considered by the Air Force to being a near-prerequisite to becoming a general. Of the 135 wings, there are four black officers in charge, according to Air Force data, or less than 3%. In all, the current class of wing commanders is 93% white and 91% male.

Air Force Secretary Deborah James, in a statement to USA TODAY, acknowledged the problem.

"We value diversity," James said. "However, the statistics tell a different story. As a service we need to do better at achieving greater diversity of thought and experiences in leadership positions."

The Air Force, with few exceptions, traditionally has drawn its top leaders from combat pilots, especially those who fly fighter jets. Its chief of staff, Gen. Mark Welsh, is an F-16 and A-10 pilot. Gen. Philip Breedlove, Supreme Allied commander in Europe and leader of European Command, is also an F-16 pilot.

To be sure, not all of the top Air Force leaders are white men, or even pilots. Its No. 2 officer, Gen. Larry Spencer, the vice chief of staff, is an African American. Two women are four-star officers: Gen. Lori Robinson, who commands Pacific Air Forces; and Gen. Janet Wolfenbarger, who leads materiel command.

But the surest path to the top, as in the Army, is leading front-line combat units.

"We're not that much different than the Army in that the combat arms part of our Air Force has traditionally been where we have drawn our most senior leaders," said Gen. Darren McDew, the four-star officer in charge of Air Force Air Mobility Command, a C-17 pilot and an African American. "It's because those combat arms have a natural link to the operational part that is the core of the service."

The Air Force's 9,000 combat pilots are at least 87% white. More officers declined to identify their race, 5%, than the next highest minority group, African Americans, at 3%. Nearly 94% are men. The military, as a whole, is dominated by men at 85% of its personnel.

WHY DIVERSITY MATTERS

James and Welsh issued a memo to airmen on why greater diversity is needed in the service. It also outlined several initiatives aimed at expanding the ranks of women and minorities in the Air Force.

"This approach is necessary because our increasingly diverse citizenry places a special trust in us and we must keep that trust by ensuring our Air Force is representative of the best of the populace from which we draw our considerable strength," the memo says.

Beyond better representing the United States, the Air Force views diversity as necessary for effectiveness. It loses out on talented minorities and women when they're underrepresented, said Chevalier Cleaves, the Air Force director of diversity and inclusion and a retired KC-135 tanker pilot.

"Diversity and inclusion are national security imperatives," Cleaves said. "So we must succeed. There is no second place for us. In order to do that, we need to make sure that we leverage the talent of all Americans, not just some."

For McDew, diversity of experience and thought lead to better decisions.

"In the 33 years I've been doing this, I've found you get a better solution if the people around the table aren't all mimicking back to you what you've said," he said. "What I want is a group of people who will come at it from a different angle, who will challenge what I'm thinking. And force me to think differently. I believe that's what diversity gets you."

WHY FEW MINORITY PILOTS

McDew cites several factors limiting minority interest in joining the Air Force and the military in general. Among them: teachers, coaches and clergy who don't view military service as an option for young minority students. Members of Congress often don't take advantage of the opportunity to nominate high school minority students to the military academies.

The lack of role models — the few top black officers — can also discourage potential officers from joining the military, he said.

McDew said his path to senior leadership is instructive. For him, the military was a natural fit. "I was born an airman," he said. His father was an Air Force master sergeant, the family moved around the country and overseas to his posts.

"I grew up seeing a very diverse Air Force, because our enlisted force is quite diverse," McDew said. "It's actually quite representative, I believe, of America."

Air Force enlisted personnel are much more diverse than their officer counterparts. About 70% of enlisted airmen are white and 15% African American; nearly 19% of its enlisted ranks are women.

Gifted in math and science, and encouraged by a teacher, McDew won a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship.

"Then I go to a military school that is deeply rooted in the old South, the Virginia Military Institute," McDew said. "When I attended, they still played Dixie. They still waved the rebel flag. Out of my 420 classmates, I can't believe there were 20 of us who were not white males when I started. When we graduated, there were three of us."

That same "tyranny of small numbers" of women and minority officers exists today, McDew said. "For every single person you lose, you may lose 25% You may lose a whole cohort."

Changing the face of the Air Force will take years, he said.

INITIATIVES FOR DIVERSE LEADERS

James has announced several initiatives this spring, including identifying enlisted airmen for officer-training school who show the "ability to lead in a diverse and inclusive Air Force culture."

To keep talented women in the service, the Air Force is considering extending the period in which they can defer deployments after having a baby from six months to one year. Women with four to seven years in the Air Force leave the service at twice the rate of men, often citing family and deployment concerns.

"The bottom line for me in this is leadership and developing the next generation of leaders," McDew said. "I believe that cohort of leaders ought to look like America, and I believe that it can."

http://www.airforcetimes.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/03/air-force-diversity/26731691/

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2015 10:49 AM

2015-05-04T10:49:29-04:00

Why wont anyone admit that that type of person and personality are what is attracted to the Air Force? Forcing diversity means a compromise in quality of the personnel. Thing like this and women in SOF are seen as social experiments, not what they really are which is tampering with the efficacy of national defense.

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made May 4 at 2015 11:11 AM

2015-05-04T11:11:03-04:00

It takes an average of 20 years to "grow" a Full Col. Your new Col today came in in 1995. We didn't even allow Woman to be Fighter Pilots until 1993! I would like to see how those GO/Col numbers stack up to the numbers from 1995? I am pretty sure they are likely significantly better in the area of diversity with regards to rank, race and gender. As each generation sees a more and more diverse force, it encourages folks from minority backgrounds to join as they have seen folks from their race/gender succeed.

Unlike our civilian counterparts, we cant just "hired" mid and senior level leadership off the streets with in turn makes our growth to a more diverse force much slower.

So are we on par with the national demographic? No! I don't think we will be in my life time. The military is still seen by many to be a "males" job. Getting over that gender role assignment can be done pretty quickly, but would require a nationalized conscription program similar to some other nations that would force it at least in the lower ranks, which at some point has the potential to trickle up to the more senior positions for those that choose to stay in.

*Disclaimer: These are my own views, not the AF's official position.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2015 11:54 AM

2015-05-04T11:54:38-04:00

The goal should have been and should still be to have the best of the best in senior leadership.

How can any program promote this if it is based upon any other criteria?

Response by Capt Mark Strobl made May 4 at 2015 12:48 PM

2015-05-04T12:48:18-04:00

One must objectively look at sourcing first: Who is going to college? Who is getting appointments to the Service Academies? Who has the means to complete a degree? My guess is that the average white male (probably growing numbers of white women) are leading in this area... of opportunity. The demographic of our commissioning sources likely show deference to the white men. These candidates were sourced from middle- and upper-class (and white) neighborhoods with high-school/college "prep" programs. With programs like the former BOOST (Navy-Marine), our young enlisted leaders have been given a huge opportunity otherwise not available. When compared to similar civilian models (corporations), the military is light years ahead in advancing minorities. But, still not "there." Problem with budget cut-backs: Education & Training are usually the first programs to be chopped.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2015 12:50 PM

2015-05-04T12:50:18-04:00

This witch needs to go amuse herself. They are trying to divide us but she never served the country. She is the one who is a xenophobe...

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2015 12:52 PM

2015-05-04T12:52:00-04:00

Maybe she should give her job to a Mexican or the nice black lady who always says hi to her because that would be the right thing to do. We are people first and I like the idea of diversity that happens by us being better for each other. Not tokens for election purposes.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made May 4 at 2015 12:59 PM

2015-05-04T12:59:33-04:00

The people qualified are the people that get the jobs. Articles like this promote racism, not diversity because they insinuate that there is a problem that simply does not exist.

This IMHO is the rhetoric that keeps getting us as a country into trouble. Everyone keeps trying to crank out employment and diversity statistics into percentages of populations and ethnic groups as if there should be a magic formula that has to be adhered to so that the world is perfect WHY??

The inferences that can be made here are that diversity is more important than qualifications, every employment path should have ample slots that equal the exact ratio of the population and that there is some injustice because of this perceived diversity "issue"

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made May 4 at 2015 1:06 PM

2015-05-04T13:06:34-04:00

What we should be worried about is the Air Force's effectiveness in combat. That is mission number one. I suspect that if there were minority candidates for these slots they would be getting them even if they were not the best qualified candidate for the slot more than likely.

We need to ensure the opportunity is there, that it is fair and open for all candidates, that is it. If folks are not stepping up and going after the job, so be it. There are many white officers that do no make it to the top too. They are shown the door at some point.

Response by SMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2015 3:26 PM

2015-05-04T15:26:35-04:00

I am a firm believer that the most qualified person should do a job, I don't care what color or gender they are. If they are the most qualified person they should do the job. If commanders have trouble relating to their subordinates and that hampers mission accomplishment then they are not the most qualified.

Do not force people into a job that they are not qualified for because you want diversity. That is setting a person up for failure which is something we should no be in the habit of doing.Diversity is defined as the differences in all of us, because people are the same color or gender doesn't mean there is no diversity, could there be more absolutely!

Let's take gender and race off of all records in the military and hirer folks for very important jobs based solely on the results of their performance.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made May 4 at 2015 7:26 PM

2015-05-04T19:26:05-04:00

Job Wanted Section.
WANTED: Canine and Equestrian Lalapalooza representative. Interested in going from E-1 to 0-10 in 20 years? CRITERIA: Must meet the following demographics......(fill in all the hot topics in the press). Standards: Lowered to accomodate government's needs. Best applicants may apply, but selection based on most diverse demographic representation.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 4 at 2015 9:19 PM

2015-05-04T21:19:17-04:00

I think we're looking at this issue through the wrong lens. Instead of comparing our senior ranks to our current population demographics, we need to be looking at our demographics 30+ years ago. It takes decades to develop our senior-most ranks. To provide some context, CSA Odierno received his commission in 1976.

The question I would ask is this: How many minority groups had access to the education necessary to progress into the senior ranks during that time period? I would venture to say it's much lower than today. There are other factors involved, such as certain ethnic groups being drawn to logistics v. combat arms.

I would posit that this problem will largely address itself. As education and opportunities become more and more accessible to all groups, it follows that our ranks will become more diverse. It will just take time, likely years or decades for it to completely cycle through. In the meantime we need the best person for the job, even if most of them are white males.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 5 at 2015 3:06 PM

2015-05-05T15:06:53-04:00

CMSAF Gaylor answered a similar question during an ALS visit here, when he got to meet Gen Wolfenbarger and was asked what he thought on the capacity of women in the high ranks. I feel I completely agree when he said and I paraphrase "the best candidate should always be selected " he doesn't care what your gender, race, or sexual orientation is if you are the best candidate you will be selected.

When it comes to proper leading and leadership qualities and job knowledge it doesn't matter who you are, where you came from, what religion you worship if you fit the qualifications for a position and have the best experience with what they are looking for you should get the job.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 9 at 2015 3:16 PM

2015-07-09T15:16:16-04:00

Looks like we have no choice now.

We're going to have to recruit bi-racial African-Philippino, homosexual, transgender, cripples to serve as officers and check ALL the diversity markers at once!

It's the only way to be sure . . .

Promotion and selection based on having the "right" characteristics (color, politics, orientation, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.) is exactly what we (the US) were trying to get rid of in the '60s with the Civil Rights movement, and now a group of "geniuses" wants to bring it all back.

Response by Col Joseph Lenertz made Oct 20 at 2015 12:33 PM

2015-10-20T12:33:16-04:00

Diversity of what?! Skin color? When are we going to realize, diversity of perspective is valuable, and skin color has no value.

Response by SPC Donald Wright made Oct 29 at 2015 11:13 PM

2015-10-29T23:13:03-04:00

I think the first order would be to bring diverse people up to the high standards required to be part of the senior leadership of the Air Force. Diversity shouldn't come by the sacrifice of Moral Character, Strength of leadership, or Integrity. Moreover, diversity should never compromise the constitution and freedoms we are sworn to defend.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2016 11:55 AM

2016-02-27T11:55:45-05:00

The Air Force works on pipeline model. The leadership of today are the product of accession/enlistment policies of 15-20 years ago.
If you look at the Civilian side, there is more prominent examples of diversity but that's because they have to ability to bring in leadership in at any levels. That's why you can have a Openly Gay Deputy SECAF and multiple Female SECAF's.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2016 1:40 PM

2016-03-01T13:40:54-05:00

I think we're introducing other issues and clouding the topic. I believe the best team to accomplish any job would include highly qualified people from different backgrounds. That way you have a variety of great input and you beat like-minded blindness. Diversity is very valuable. Seems like everyone is fighting the discrimination label in their posts when this didn't seem to be an accusatory article. The numbers are what they are and there should only be suspicion if minorities and females fail out at a higher rate.

Response by Cpl Joshua Caldwell made Nov 26 at 2016 9:23 PM

2016-11-26T21:23:27-05:00

Who gives a rats ass if they are diverse? Are they good at their jobs?