Milley: Military lacks racial diversity

WASHINGTON – The U.S. military must widen opportunity and improve advancement for Black service members, who remain vastly underrepresented in some areas, including among Air Force pilots and in the most senior ranks, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday.

Army Gen. Mark Milley told a Howard University ROTC commissioning ceremony that diversity is an important strength of the military but is still inadequate. “We must get better,” he said.

As an example of the failure to increase racial diversity, Milley said that when the current chief of staff of the Air Force, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1984, only 2% of Air Force pilots were

Black. Today, Milley said, the Air Force pilot population remains 2% Black.

Brown, who last summer became the first Black to serve as the chief of a military service, made headlines in June when he posted an emotional video in which he discussed the difficulties he has experienced as a Black member of the Air Force. He said that as a young pilot he had to work extra hard in order to prove to white supervisors “that their expectations and perceptions of African Americans were invalid.”

The military is about 20% Black, Milley said, yet only two of 41 four-star generals and admirals are Black.

“Opportunity in our military must be reflective of the diverse talent in order for us to remain strong,” Milley said.

Racial issues have come under increased scrutiny in the military. Efforts by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to combat extremism in the ranks reflect in large part a concern about white supremacists. Race gained added attention last year when President Donald Trump criticized the military for considering renaming Army bases that are named after Confederate officers who fought against the Union in the Civil War to preserve the institution of slavery.

Asked about Milley’s comments, Austin’s press secretary, John Kirby, said Austin agrees with Milley and has made a priority of addressing racial inequities since he took office in January.

“The secretary believes this has got to be a concerted effort, an every-day effort, and it’s got to be led,” Kirby said. “If leaders across the department don’t take this on as a personal commitment, it’s not going to change.