![]() The lack of white officers who have studied this topic is glaringly apparent. It is also noteworthy that writing on the topic of African Americans’ underrepresentation among combat arms officers has mainly been done by black combat arms officers at either the Command and General Staff College or the Army War College. Whether the Army is perceived as a meritocratic institution becomes especially important because of the impact on recruitment-much like the effects of glorifying rebellious Confederates by naming military bases after such traitors who fought to uphold the institution of slavery. African Americans who have contributed during those wars and every major conflict of this country might not view the Army as a place of belonging, and those who continue to serve might reasonably question the extent to which it is a true meritocracy, as Anyabwile explained in his paper. So is African American veterans’ inhumane treatment by the country they fought for, as expendable on the battlefield and second-class citizens upon returning home from both World Wars. The history of Fort Des Moines mass-producing 639 black officers after the United States declared war on Germany and announced its intention to join the fighting in Europe during the First World War is well documented. Historically, African Americans who wanted to serve this country as Army officers were both limited in branch opportunities and segregated from white soldiers by the institution. And as Butler and Smith showed, this has been a fact of the institution for at least the past two generations. Okera Anyabwile provides a detailed historical examination in his recent Army War College paper, “Meritocracy or Hypocrisy: The Legacy of Institutionalized Racism in Combat-Arms.” What this history has led to is a situation in which the Army doesn’t have enough African American commanders at the battalion level to grow a number of any significance into senior leaders. Irving Smith, PhD, with updated data, showed no change in “Why Black Officers Still Fail.” Both officers identified a key problem: there is a lack of mentorship from not only black officers but also white officers who aren’t invested in a diverse force. Remo Butler wrote a Strategy Research Project, “Why Black Officers Fail,” which offered a shocking description of the inequalities of the selection of African American officers for colonel and general-officer rank. As a colonel at the Army War College in 1995, retired Brig. ![]() Research specific to the topic of black officers in the Army started as a broad topic covering all branches but has become more specific to combat arms as time has elapsed. Second, it is time to reconsider whether virtually the entirety of the Army’s senior-most leadership positions actually needs to be filled with officers from combat arms backgrounds. If the Army and the black community remain unconcerned about convincing young black cadets to branch combat arms, the status quo will remain. ![]() Xavier Garrett briefly discussed the phenomenon of African American cadets choosing non–combat arms career paths in a recent New York Times article covering the lack of black senior officers across the services. The Army will have a role in doing so, but so will African American stakeholders at all levels, from cadets to mid-career officers. First, more should be done to encourage African American cadets to pursue careers as combat arms officers-and to continue in those branches throughout their careers. But addressing two issues in particular would be especially impactful. Solving this problem will require deliberate and comprehensive effort. The lack of diversity among combat arms officers is a strategic problem, however, because under the current Army construct, only combat arms officers become senior strategic leaders-senior, three- and four-star generals that serve as the chief of staff of the Army, corps commanders, or component combatant commanders. Yet, the lack of appropriate funds directed toward implementing a program aimed at change and of any fundamental policy changes makes these efforts appear to be for naught. The National Defense Authorization Acts of 20 prescribed task forces, commissions, and strategic plans. The hard truth is that combat arms demographics are little more than a talking point that is brought up every few years, typically by black stakeholders. And based on its institutional inaction, the service seems to collectively believe that this is not a problem. The Army has a disproportionate lack of African American officers in combat arms branches-infantry, armor, aviation, and field artillery.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |