Chapter One
About the Study
The U.S. Armed Forces have played a pivotal role in the Nation’s pursuit of equality of opportunity for all citizens. In 1948, after the end of World War II, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces President Harry S. Truman issued his historic Executive Order 9981. The order called for the desegregation of the Armed Forces by providing “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services” (The White House, 1948). Since then, the U.S. military has become a groundbreaking institution that is dedicated to the ideal that individual servicemembers should be rewarded for their performance and dedication, no matter their gender, skin color, ethnic background, or religion. This dedication to equal opportunity has resulted in the increased representation of racial/ethnic minorities and women at all ranks of the military, including among top leadership positions. Today, the Armed Forces have made impressive progress toward President Truman’s vision of an inclusive military that reflects the ideals of the Nation it serves. Despite this progress, however, the transformation of the Armed Forces remains unfinished. Racial/ethnic minorities and women are still underrepresented in leadership positions. Demographic changes in the United States are reshaping the pool from which the Services will recruit and promote future military leaders. Prolonged conflicts of unprecedented complexity require agile leadership that leverages all the capabilities at its disposal. Like the private sector, the U.S. military recognizes the need for a diverse workforce that includes a greater range of individual competencies, including skills, education, and professional backgrounds. Recognizing the needs of the new era, Congress mandated the creation of the Department of Defense (DoD) Military Leadership Diversity Commission (MLDC). The Commission, an advisory body of active and retired military, academic, and corporate leaders, was tasked in its charter to “conduct a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of policies that provide opportunities for the promotion and advancement of minority members of the Armed Forces, including minority members who are senior officers.”1 This final report presents the results of that evaluation. It examines policies affecting the career life cycles of military personnel from the five Services— the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—as well as the National Guard and Reserve. The report outlines a vision, strategy, and action plan for improving the inclusiveness of military leadership.
1
The charter is reproduced in Appendix A. The Commissioners are listed in Appendix B.
3
