Air Force Diversity

844 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of discrimination in the uniformed services

POSITION PAPER
ON
DIVERSITY AND THE AIR FORCE
1. This paper will focus on the need to promote diversity in the Air Force and the diversity of thought amongst the ranks. The focus will be upon the current organizational climate, proposed solutions for consideration, and what should be done to levy change.

2. As a dominant air power it is essential to maximize resources in all aspects, including our people. President Truman signed the legal end of racial segregation in the military in 1948 and sparked an initiative for change and an increase in minority Airmen.1 Unfortunately, even today, the Air Force has staggering differences with regards to demographics reflective of minority groups. The organizational climate of the Air Force is explained …show more content…

To levy change with regards to accommodations and increased diversity, there is a need to increase the attractiveness of the Air Force. It must be understood that, if Airmen feel valued and excited, they will not want to go elsewhere. Airmen need to experience a legitimate buy-in. Moreover, their commitment and enthusiasm will be evident.7 To attract and retain quality Airmen of a diverse nature, there needs to be a higher retention rate. To increase retention, there needs to be flexibility, such as better control over assignment locations and duration, opportunities to control future development, and a more accepting environment for growth. The Air Force population is hungry for greater opportunities and satisfaction. If the Air Force can’t satisfy their needs, they will go to an organization that understands their desires. Being more accommodating to an Airman’s wants and needs will increase retention allowing for a greater number of candidates. Larger numbers to choose from will increase the potential for an underrepresented applicant group to be considered. Lastly, consider that a “group of people with diverse individual expertise would be better than a homogeneous group at solving complex, nonroutine problems.”8 There is a critical need to retain and broaden the diversity of the Air Force, not only to retain air superiority, but to guarantee that numerous views and thoughts are openly expressed at all levels of …show more content…

Promoting diversity through the Air Force and its ranks requires a constant effort and the results will be advantageous. Through proactive effort, the barriers can be identified and removed. With changes to accommodations, the possibility of retaining a more diverse force increases. It is important to reiterate, if Airmen feel valued and excited they will not want to work elsewhere. In the end, retaining Airmen through accommodations will increases the pool of talent and lean to a more diverse Air Force. Notes

1. Parco, James E., and David A. Levy, 2010. Attitudes Aren’t Free. Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press. 2. Air Force Personnel Center, Air Force Demographics, United States Air Force, 31 December 2016, http://www.afpc.af.mil/Air-Force-Demographics.
3. Ibid. 4. Col Suzanne M. Streeter, United States Air Force, 2014, "The Air Force and Diversity." Feature 105. 5. Ibid., 105. 6. Florentine, Sharon, How to Improve Employee Rention. 14 January 2015,

Show More
Related

  • The Tuskagee Airmen of World War II

    1968 Words  | 4 Pages

    Airmen of WWII Racism is part of American history and is not forgotten. The Tuskegee Airmen of WWII left their mark on the military and their influence changed history. Many events had to happen for the majority of racism, at least in the military, to change, such as a war. December 1940, the Army Air Corps planned an experiment for black aviators in an all black fighter squadron. This group would be called the 332nd fighter group and would consist of four fighter squadrons, the 99th, 100th, 301st, 302nd.

    Read More

  • Essay On Tuskegee Airmen

    1256 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tuskegee Airmen, while simultaneously gaining the respect of whites, they also reformed of the black the image in the military. During the early twentieth century, American whites conducted many studies on blacks that concluded blacks to be a mentally inferior subspecies of the human race with smaller brains than those of whites. Using this “scientific knowledge,” whites assumed that aviation technology was just too prodigious for blacks, and that blacks were innately scared of flying. During the early part of the twentieth century, many whites in the military were convinced African Americans “lacked the mental capacity, aptitude, and reflexes” to fly planes; a misconception that was very far from the truth. In fact, several black men across the nation have mastered many of the key technological aspects of flight.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The United States Army

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    This paper will not bore with the definition of a profession. The United States Army is about more than words, it is about action. The action of over 238 years of tradition and service. The Army is a profession. A profession requires its members to adhere to prolonged training and learn specialized skills. A member of a profession must wholly commit himself and his skills to a calling which is entrusted by the public. A profession provides its members with intrinsic value which motivates beyond financial gain. The Army is a higher calling which demands all of these qualities and more.

    Read More

  • American Minorities during World War II

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    African Americans that joined the Army Air Corps’ were also segregated (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). The Army Air Corps’ African American, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen, were sent to the black university in Tuskegee for their training (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1). They became one of the most well known groups of flyers during World War II that were able to fly 200 bomber escort missions over enemy territory, and were able to prevent all of the bombers from being shot down by the enemies (Reinhardt and Ganzel 1).... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Was World War II A Turning Point For African Americans?

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Those studying the experience of African Americans in World War II consistently ask one central question: “Was World War II a turning point for African Americans?” In elaboration, does World War II symbolize a prolongation of policies of segregation and discrimination both on the home front and the war front, or does it represent the start of the Civil Rights Movement that brought racial equality? The data points to the war experience being a transition leading to the civil rights upheavals of the 1960s.

    Read More

  • The Tuskegee Airmen

    2006 Words  | 5 Pages

    During the years leading up to World War I, no black man had ever served as a pilot for the United States Army, ever since the beginning of the United States Army Air Service in 1907. The Tuskegee Airmen changed this and played a huge part in the fight for African-American rights for years to come.

    Read More

  • Women Airforce Service Pilots

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 1940’s World War II was the most widespread war in history. After Pearl Harbor was attacked the United States quickly became involved. Women pilots were utilized for the first time by the government. The Women AirForce Service Pilots (WASP) program freed up male pilots for combat service. The WASP’s exchanged knowledge and service for the U.S. While the program was active the 1,830 women who got accepted were given the opportunity to explore military aviation. The women encountered discrimination from the government and other male soldiers but,

    Read More

  • Women In The Military Essay

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    The gender integration in the military has always faced questions of social acceptance, weather society can accept how women will be qualified and respected in the military as today. As of today, the decision has been made and allowed women to fill about 220,000 jobs that are now limited to men which includes infantry, armor, reconnaissance and some special operations units. The recruitment numbers of women have been increasing since than which reflects the importance of severing as role model for future women to join infantry and other ground combat jobs which they have been prohibited from. Women have extensively served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, but discrimination still continues till today. The military requirements are physical tests and standards such as long deployments aboard ships, exceptions for infantry which male units perform better than women. Women’s acknowledgement has not really changed which stated by Carter “ He said there are “physical differences on average” between men and women and that “thus far, we’ve only seen small numbers of women qualify to meet our high physical standards” for some units “ (Bradner, p. 3).There are not many exceptions for women fulfilling the needs to open opportunity jobs in the military but with little hope which men inhale the endurance and strength that are not viewed towards

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action In The Workforce

    1752 Words  | 4 Pages

    Although the roots of affirmative action in the United States date back to the nineteenth century, more recent affirmative action programs were initiated under the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. To help rectify the historical inequalities suffered by women and minorities, John F. Kennedy passed Executive Order 10925 and Executive Order 11246 which required government contractors to take “affirmative action” in the hiring of more minorities (African Americans and women) and ending workplace discrimination, according to historian Stephen Cahn. A decade later, the Nixon presidency piggybacked JFK’s footsteps and mandated all government contractors to create a printed affirmative action plan within the workplace. Many companies now emplo...

    Read More

  • Interview with a Social Worker

    2018 Words  | 5 Pages

    Daley, J. G. (1999). Understanding the Military As an Ethnic Identity. In J. G. Daley, Social Work Practice in the Military (pp. 291-303). Binghamton: Haworth Press Inc.

    Read More

  • Managing Diversity in the United States Army

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States Army consists of soldiers from many diverse cultures. Citizenship is not a requirement to join the Army, so people enlist from across the United States as well as from many countries around the world. The Army has its own unique culture that is a conglomeration of the many cultures that make up its population. Each new soldier is expected to adapt to this new culture and integrate as a member of a larger team. Helping new soldiers make this adaptation as quickly as possible and with few difficulties is a challenge for the leaders of new soldiers throughout the Army.

    Read More

  • Do Attitudes Predict Behavior?

    1979 Words  | 4 Pages

    Eiser,J and Van der Plight,J (1988) Attitudes and Decisions: New essential Psychology:.Channel Islands:The Guernsey Press Co

    Read More

  • How Do Implicit Attitudes Influence How We Respond to Other?

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    Petty, R., Fazio, R., & Brinol, P. (2008). Attitudes: Insites from the New Implicit Measures (Rev Ed.). New York, NY: CRC Press.

    Read More

  • Diversity : The Melting Pot And The World

    995 Words  | 2 Pages

    America is often referred to as “The Melting Pot” of the world. With this appellation, it is not wrong to assume that the U.S. has one of the most diverse cultures. Conversely, a majority percentage of people in America would disagree with this sentiment and argue that the U.S. is comprised of many subgroups. These subgroups vary based on race and skin color and are hardly “melted” together. This apparent racial divide is very common in many American corporations as well. Management researchers have found that maintaining a racially diverse workforce has been proven to have many important benefits within a corporation. For example, having a racially diverse workforce can help match the culture of the customers in the economy to build trust, provide new and differing insights, and right some of the wrongs caused by racism and sexism in our society. Facilitating diversity is not easy, and many organizations have encountered challenges from attempting to do so. Fortunately, there actions that organizations can take to overcome these challenges in order to make diversity a reality.

    Read More

  • The Benefits of e-Recruiting

    2304 Words  | 5 Pages

    Hipps, C., (2012, August 16). Promoting diversity through recruitment, Retrieved November 29, 2013 from Internet site http://www.personneltoday.com/hr/promoting-diversity-through-recruitment/

    Read More

More about Air Force Diversity

Open Document