Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper is announcing a new U.S. Military group being formed to conduct internal reviews of diversity.
During a video message shared via Twitter, Esper unveiled three new initiatives geared toward a “reinvigorated effort” to expand racial diversity and equal opportunities in the U.S. Military.
According to Esper, the first step centers on the “Defense Board on Diversity and Inclusion in the Military.”
This diverse group will “conduct a six-month sprint to develop concrete, actionable recommendations to increase racial diversity and ensure equal opportunity across all ranks, and especially in the officer corps.”
The results of their findings and recommendations will be produced in December.
Esper also said he would establish a Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion in the Armed Services which will “mirror” the work of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.
He said that the committee will be a “permanent structure comprised of a diverse group of Americans committed to the task at hand.”
See Esper’s remarks below:
Bias & prejudice have no place in our military, or in our country. Prejudices – whether visible or invisible, conscious or unconscious—remain a burden to many. They hold back the diversity of the force, representation in our officer ranks, and experiences of our minority members. pic.twitter.com/uhScevfv9y
— Archive: Dr. Mark T. Esper (@EsperDoD) June 18, 2020
Esper went on to discuss his long-term goal to “make important strides in ensuring the armed forces look more like the broader society we serve.”
“My goal is to effect an enterprise-wide, organizational and cultural shift,” Esper said. “The actions I have identified today are just the first steps, but there is more to be done”
Outlining incentives for the next few months, Esper insists he will be working to implement change “across the department.”
He continued, “Over the next few months, I will be working across the department to identify additional ways to foster lasting change, from recruiting, career track selection, and retention; to assignments, schools, and promotions; to military justice and everything in between and beyond.”
