5 May 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is “concerned” about the lack of diversity among the senior ranks of the military and believes leaders should make a concerted effort to change it, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Wednesday.
“He’s certainly concerned about the diversity at the senior levels of the department. And this is not just senior enlisted levels, but senior officer levels, admirals, and generals,” Kirby said at a Pentagon press conference. “The numbers are not very high.”
“The secretary believes this has got to be a concerted effort, an everyday effort, and it’s got to be led. If leaders across the department don’t take this on as a personal commitment, it’s not going to change,” he said.
6 May 2021
The nation’s top military officer touted “diversity” as one of the United States military’s “key strengths” on Wednesday, amid a push by the Biden administration to make race a top issue at the Pentagon.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley made the remarks at a commissioning ceremony for graduating ROTC cadets at Howard University, one of the nation’s historically black colleges and universities.
“One of the key strengths of the American military is our diversity and fighting for a common cause, and we must get better,” he said.
He said when black Air Force Chief of Staff C.Q. Brown was first commissioned as a second lieutenant, only two percent of pilots in the U.S. Air Force were African American.
Austin still mum on whether to prosecute sexual assaults outside chain of command May 6 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is waiting to hear what the service secretaries have to say before making his final decision. (Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase/DoD) An independent panel of a dozen experts has recommended that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin establish a body outside the chain of command to prosecute sexual assaults. His top uniformed adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley, is also open to the idea. And Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., says that after nine years pushing, she believes she has the votes in the Senate to make it law. But Austin isn’t taking a public position.
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The Army and Air Force are locked in battle over missions and the dollars that go with them. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs — an Army guy — has predicted a “bloodletting” with the Army the likely loser as the country grapples with how to manage the growing rivalries with China and Russia. Stopping the rivalries and unifying the country behind the need for a strong military will require both a White House willing to negotiate a higher defense budget with Republicans in Congress, and Pentagon leaders willing to articulate the need for sufficient resources and tamp down infighting. Tight defense budgets have historically caused the services to battle among themselves for scarce dollars and we are already seeing those fights returning. Such brawls unhelpfully distract from the core issue today, namely that the proposed level of defense funding is inadequate to develop the military necessary to counter China and others. Essentially, the Biden administration’s