From Representation to Inclusion: Diversity Leadership for the 21St-Century Military
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From representation to inclusion: Diversity leadership for the 21st-Century Military Final RepoRt From representation to inclusion: Diversity leadership for the 21st-Century Military Final RepoRt MILITARY LEADERSHIP DIVERSITY COMMISSION 1851 South Bell Street Arlington, VA 22202 March 15, 2011 The Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States The 112th United States Congress Mr. President and Members of Congress: The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 established the Military Leadership Diversity Commission. The Commission was asked to conduct a comprehen- sive evaluation and assessment of policies and practices that shape diversity among mili- tary leaders. Sixteen interrelated tasks, given by Congress, informed the Commission’s enclosed final report, From Representation to Inclusion: Diversity Leadership for the 21st- Century Military. As chairman of this Commission, I am proud to present this report for your consideration. The Commission held itself to high standards of openness and transparency in all deliberations. Moreover, we modeled inclusiveness by inviting those with diverse back- grounds, expertise, and experience to have a say in our independent analysis. The Com- mission sought extensive input for our deliberations from the Department of Defense and the Services as well as the private sector. We hosted 13 public hearings, meeting in loca- tions across the country where many active-duty servicemembers and veterans reside. We heard public testimony from top military leaders, subject matter experts, and diversity officers from leading corporations known for their diversity practices. In addition, we con- ducted interviews with servicemembers. The Commission believes that the diversity of our servicemembers is the unique strength of our military. Current and future challenges can be better met by broadening our understanding of diversity and by effectively leading our uniformed men and women in ways that fully leverage their differences. While we find the promotion policies and practices of the Department of Defense and the Services to be fair, we find also that there are some barriers to improving demographic representation among military leaders. Among the 20 recommendations given in this report is a new definition of diversity for the 21st century. We offer ways to remove barriers that are affecting the demographic makeup of military leadership, and we suggest approaches to leadership, education, and assessment that can enable the Department of Defense and the Services to fully benefit from the increased diversity of military leadership. We are confident that these recom- mendations will positively shape our military leadership in ways that meet the unique challenges of this century. However, the Commission recognizes that presidential and congressional guidance and support are necessary if success is to be realized. It has been both an honor and privilege for this Commission to support the U.S. military’s continuing journey of becoming a preeminently inclusive institution. Sincerely, Lester L. Lyles, Chairman Military Leadership Diversity Commission Commissioner SIgnatures Current Commissioners v From representation to inclusion: Diversity leaDership For the 21st-century military Former Commissioners vi Preface The U.S. Armed Forces became a deliberately inclusive organization in 1948, when President Harry S. Truman issued his historic Executive Order 9981 that called for “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services” (The White House, 1948). Since then, the U.S. military force has endeavored to become an inclusive organization dedicated to the equality of all its members, regardless of their background. Its dedication to equal opportunity has resulted in increased rep- resentation of racial/ethnic minorities and women among the top military leaders in recent decades. Despite undeniable successes, however, the Armed Forces have not yet succeeded in developing a continuing stream of leaders who are as diverse as the Nation they serve. Racial/ethnic minorities and women still lag behind non-Hispanic white men in terms of representative percentage of military leadership positions held. Marked changes in the demographic makeup of the United States will throw existing disparities into sharp relief, creating a recruiting pool that looks very different from the pool of 30–40 years ago, from which today’s leaders were drawn. Recognizing existing disparities and seeking to look ahead, Congress, in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009, Section 596, mandated the creation of the Military Leadership Diversity Commission (MLDC). The Commis- sion was tasked 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.” Its charter required that a final report be delivered directly to the President and Congress one year after its first meeting. An independent deliberative body, the Commission was itself an inclusive orga- nization. Military Commissioners were active-duty and retired officers and senior enlisted personnel from both the Active and Reserve Components of all the Armed Forces, including the Coast Guard, as well as civilians. They included those who served in major armed conflicts from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. Civilian Com- missioners included senior executives of major corporations, civil servants, and a law school chancellor. The Commission’s charter listed 16 specific tasks. To address these tasks, the Commission was divided into ten subcommittees, each supported by a research team. Each subcommittee produced issue papers on specific topics and a decision paper that 1 reports the subcommittee’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations. 1 The Legal Implications Subcommittee did not produce a decision paper because the Commission made no recommendations specific to the subcommittee’s findings. Rather, those findings served to inform all of the Commission’s recommendations. vii From representation to inclusion: Diversity leaDership For the 21st-century military This final report, founded on rigorous research and enhanced by serious and open deliberation, presents the Commission’s main findings and recommends policies and practices to develop future military leaders who represent the face of America. viii Contents Commissioner Signatures ............................................................................ v Preface ................................................................................................. vii Figures and Table .................................................................................... xi Summary ............................................................................................. xiii Abbreviations ........................................................................................ xxi Section I: Introduction Chapter One: About the Study ..................................................................... 3 Chapter Two: Defining Diversity for a New Era ............................................... 11 Section II: Building the FOundation for ChangE Chapter Three: Ensuring Leadership Commitment to Diversity ............................ 21 Section III: Developing FuTuRE Leaders Chapter Four: The Demographic Composition of Today’s Military Leadership .......... 39 Chapter Five: The Eligible Pool of Candidates .................................................. 47 Chapter Six: Outreach and Recruiting ........................................................... 53 Chapter Seven: Branching and Assignments ................................................... 63 Chapter Eight: Promotion .......................................................................... 75 Chapter Nine: Retention ........................................................................... 83 Chapter Ten: Going Beyond Race/Ethnicity and Gender ................................... 89 Section IV: Ensuring Continued Progress Chapter Eleven: Managing and Sustaining Diversity.......................................... 95 Chapter Twelve: Conclusion...................................................................... 117 Appendixes A. The Military Leadership Diversity Commission Charter ............................... 119 B. Commission Members ......................................................................... 121 C. Recommendations .............................................................................. 125 D. Glossary .......................................................................................... 131 References ........................................................................................... 135 ix FIgures and Table Figures 2.1. 21st-Century Inclusion Builds on the Foundation of 20th-Century Representation .......................................................................... 14 3.1. Best Practices for Managing Change ............................................... 26 3.2. The 1998 DoD Human Goals Charter ............................................. 28 4.1. Racial/Ethnic Minority and Female Shares of Officers and Enlisted Personnel, by Component, September 2008 ....................................... 41 4.2. Racial/Ethnic Minority Shares of Enlisted Personnel, by Service and Rank, September 2008 ................................................................. 41 4.3. Female Shares of Enlisted Personnel, by Service