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Army worried too many white men lead combat units, racial diversity lacking
The Washington Times ^ | September 11, 2014 | Douglas Ernst

Posted on 09/11/2014 6:49:12 PM PDT by jazusamo

U.S. Army sociologists are worried that a lack of black officers leading its combat troops will have detrimental effect on minorities and lead to fewer black officers in top leadership posts.

“The issue exists. The leadership is aware of it,” Brig. Gen. Ronald Lewis told USA Today on Thursday. “The leadership does have an action plan in place. And it’s complicated.”

The Army reports that only 10 percent of its active-duty officers are black, which has contributed to its dearth of black officers leading soldiers with occupational specialties in infantry, armor and artillery.

“It certainly is a problem for several reasons,” Col. Irving Smith, director of sociology at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, told USA Today. “First we are a public institution. And as a public institution we certainly have more of a responsibility to our nation than a private company to reflect it...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blackofficers; minorities; socialexperiments; usarmy
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To: jazusamo

They said blacks make up 13% of the US population. So, 13% of the officers should be black.


81 posted on 09/11/2014 8:18:25 PM PDT by DirtyPigpen (Semper Fi)
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To: F15Eagle

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending to one’s point of view, when it rains, it rains on the just as well as the unjust. But I do get your point.


82 posted on 09/11/2014 8:21:55 PM PDT by sport
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To: jazusamo

All I can say is don’t go in the military. You’ll end up cannon fodder for sake of social engineering.


83 posted on 09/11/2014 8:23:52 PM PDT by virgil (The evil that men do lives after them)
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Comment #84 Removed by Moderator

To: jazusamo

The US ARMY has “sociologists?”.....well...there’s the problem


85 posted on 09/11/2014 8:33:26 PM PDT by goodnesswins (R.I.P. Doherty, Smith, Stevens, Woods)
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To: Dallas59
Why we are going to loose.

That's a problem I guess, I just hope we don't lose too!

86 posted on 09/11/2014 8:41:53 PM PDT by Mastador1 (I'll take a bad dog over a good politician any day!)
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To: zaxtres
HERE's what I turned up. It appears that black deaths in Iraq were considerably under-represented between 2003 and 2008. 9.49% as opposed to 14% of the population at large. And Hispanic, under-represented as well. 10.72% as opposed to 17% of the population. White, over-represented, 74% as opposed to 63% of the population.

Mind you, those totals can be deceptive depending on the white/Hispanic crossover, which should remind us that the idea of race and that of ethnicity are not the same.

87 posted on 09/11/2014 9:06:31 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: West Texas Chuck
That was totally uncalled for.

Am I going to have to sell my franchise?

88 posted on 09/11/2014 9:07:23 PM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: Fungi

Somebody neds to remind the public that we are a MERITOCRACY.


89 posted on 09/11/2014 9:09:44 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: BunnySlippers

Idiocracy. Have been for 30 years.


90 posted on 09/11/2014 9:12:36 PM PDT by RedHeeler
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To: jazusamo

Oh boy this is just the sort of social engineering that our armed forced lacked that we just NEEDED! I hate Obama.


91 posted on 09/11/2014 9:17:15 PM PDT by JSDude1
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To: Viennacon; jazusamo; 2ndDivisionVet; cripplecreek
"The Army reports that only 10 percent of its active-duty officers are black, which has contributed to its dearth of black officers leading soldiers with occupational specialties in infantry, armor and artillery."

So help me out here guys.

Blacks are (depending on how the "mixed race" folks identify themselves) somewhere around 11-12% of the population.

In the private sector they exhibit higher than average unemployment rates compared to other groups.

So why is 10% of the Officer Corps an "under representation?"

Seems to me that if anything, Blacks are doing *better* in the military than in the private sector.

92 posted on 09/11/2014 9:45:03 PM PDT by shibumi (Cover it with gas and set it on fire.)
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To: DirtyPigpen
They said blacks make up 13% of the US population. So, 13% of the officers should be black.

Is that a joke? How is skin color relevant to military leadership qualification?

You know this is a non-racist, conservative (but I repeat myself) website, right?

93 posted on 09/11/2014 9:50:12 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
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To: shibumi

They’ve been “doing better” in the military than society as a whole (private and public sector) almost since the minute that President Truman desegregated the armed forces and they weren’t doing that badly compared to others even before that, with certain exceptions. This is a false narrative by some Marxist in the Pentagon.


94 posted on 09/11/2014 9:52:10 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2Million USD for Cruz and/or Palin's next run, what will you do?)
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To: jazusamo

So what’s wrong? We have an affirmative action president, why not affirmative action military officers.


95 posted on 09/11/2014 10:15:45 PM PDT by Doc91678 (Doc91678)
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To: jazusamo

Operation “Get Behind the Darkies.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nrh5YOQHvFw


96 posted on 09/11/2014 10:41:31 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: jazusamo
“It certainly is a problem for several reasons,” Col. Irving Smith, director of sociology at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, told USA Today. “First we are a public institution. And as a public institution we certainly have more of a responsibility to our nation than a private company to reflect it...

Oh gag me with a freaking spoon. A colonel who is a director of sociology. I suppose he also supports more white folk in Equal Opportunity positions?

The army has more of a concern of diversity than warfighting capabilities? That doesn't surprise me.

97 posted on 09/11/2014 11:06:27 PM PDT by VeniVidiVici
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To: jazusamo

i wish they were more worried that too many incompetents, or too many political careerists, or too many yes-men were running the armed forces.

pc idiocy. run amok.


98 posted on 09/11/2014 11:58:31 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: Mears

black, disabled, lesbian transgender, you mean.


99 posted on 09/12/2014 12:00:23 AM PDT by Secret Agent Man ( Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: centurion316

Well stated.


100 posted on 09/12/2014 12:27:49 AM PDT by Cvengr (Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)
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