The American people is a diverse one, for it comprises representatives of numerous racial, ethnic, religious, and other groups. It is necessary for all these groups to be able to get on with one another well in order for a harmonious society to exist. Racial, ethnic, and gender diversity are also essential for the armed forces to be effective in today’s globalized world. In this paper, we will review the reasons why diversity is important for the U.S. military, discuss the steps that the military leadership has taken to promote diversity and talk about what recommendations were provided for the U.S. armed forces to do that.
There are a number of reasons why the U.S. military looks for and values diversity in its ranks. First, it is considered that the military forces should reflect the public they serve (MLDC, 2011, p. 7). The presence of diverse representatives of the population also allows for better collaboration with various stakeholders such as international partners, for this collaboration often requires additional language and cultural skills (MLDC, 2011, p. 8).
On the whole, the diversity can increase the effectiveness of the military (MLDC, 2011, p. 10); for instance, the presence of service people with various skills allows for a broader range of tactics to be employed (MLDC, 2011, p. 4). In addition, the appreciation of diversity encourages people of different backgrounds to work better, for this provides them with better career perspectives independently of their backgrounds (MLDC, 2011, p. 10).
Also, without a favorable attitude towards diversity in the military, people of diverse backgrounds are more likely to suffer; for instance, the military personnel who have a history of same-sex partners report higher levels of distress, self-injurious behaviors, and post-traumatic stress than the person who only had other-sex partners (Ray-Sannerud, Bryan, Perry, & Bryan, 2015). Thus, the fact that diversity is being valued means that people have a better psychological condition and can work more effectively; also, fewer harmful tensions take place in the military (MLDC, 2011, p. 16).
It is fortunate that American military leadership has strived to promote diversity in the ranks of the armed forces. A number of steps aimed at that have been taken. In 2009, the Military Leadership Diversity Commission was created (MLDC, 2011, p. 5). The commission produced research on the opportunities for increasing diversity in the military (MLDC, 2011, p. 6). It was offered to aim to reach two overlapping objectives, that is, to “systematically develop a demographically diverse leadership,” and to “pursue a broader approach [to diversity] that includes the range of backgrounds, skill sets, and personal attributes” (MLDC, 2011, p. 7). It is now an important aim to promote respect for diversity among the military (MLDC, 2011, p. 10).
In order to further increase the diversity in the armed forces, the MLDC recommends understanding diversity more broadly, making it “an institutional priority” (MLDC, 2011, p. 17), and taking a number of steps. These steps include: expanding the pool of available candidates for military service and bettering recruiting methods; analyzing obstacles to career promotions for diverse representatives of the forces and getting rid of these obstacles; developing clear diversity management policies and aims, and regularly checking whether they were implemented and achieved; creating mechanisms for such control; eliminating “combat exclusion policies” for women (MLDC, 2011, p. 19); ensuring that the military leaders are committed to diversity; and many other steps (MLDC, 2011).
To sum up, it should be noted that diversity is essential in the military because it makes the armed forces more effective in a number of ways, allowing people of different backgrounds to show their potential. The American leadership has taken a number of steps to promote diversity in the military; for instance, the MLDC was created to conduct research on diversity. It has offered a number of steps to advance diversity in the armed forces; these steps comprise various approaches and stipulate that regular measures must be taken in order to increase diversity in the ranks of the military.
References
Military Leadership Diversity Commission. (2011). From representation to inclusion: Diversity leadership for the 21st-century military. Web.
Ray-Sannerud, B., Bryan, C. J., Perry, N. S., & Bryan, A. O. (2015). High levels of emotional distress, trauma exposure, and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors among military personnel and veterans with a history of same-sex behavior. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2(2), 130-137. Web.