The lack of minority high-ranking officers in the US military

[MillCreek]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/us/politics/military-minorities-leadership.html

An interesting article on a topic that I had never thought about before.  I had assumed that with the large minority population serving in the US military, there would be equivalent representation at the higher ranks.  I was wrong. 

This also made me wonder about the makeup of APS.  I suspect that the membership of this board is overwhelmingly white and male.  It would be interesting to see the demographics of this board.  Is the typical member here white, 40 years old, college educated, lives in the Midwest, married, works in IT, and earns $60K/year?  There must be some data out there on the demographics of gun owners.

[MechAg94]

https://dnyuz.com/2020/05/25/african-americans-are-highly-visible-in-the-military-but-almost-invisible-at-the-top/
Alternate link.  NYT wouldn't let me read it.

When it gets to the high level where there are only 40 or so positions, I am not sure statistics are going to tell the story. 

The elite service academies that feed the officer class — the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs — have increased their enrollment of minority recruits in recent years but remain largely white. The African-Americans who do become officers are often steered to specialize in logistics and transportation rather than the marquee combat arms specialties that lead to the top jobs.

Anyone know how to interpret that last?  Are they saying they were deliberate shunted off into those jobs or that is just where they ended up? 

[Perd Hapley]

I had the impression that blacks were more likely to view the military pragmatically as an opportunity to learn a civilian job skill, so there are more crazy white boys in combat arms.

To take another angle on it, why isn't America's white supremacist system pushing more people of color into the more risky jobs?

[T.O.M.]

My take, having served in the Army from 87-96, I see two things.  First, in my experience,  minority cadets in ROTC and West Point see the military as a way to pay for their education, a job when young,  and a way to gain marketable experience for use on the other side.  Get to O-3 or so, you can usually find a pretty good paying job.

Second, when you get up to 0-7 (general/admiral), there's a lot of politics involved in the promotions.  Hate to say it, but white folks have better political connections.

[HankB]

This black guy did pretty well for himself in the military . . . and afterwards.



And of course this guy jumped all the other ranks and served as Commander in Chief for eight years:



As for people who filled other top slots:

Black Four Star Navy Admirals along with the year of their appointment

    Joseph Paul Reason, 1997
    Cecil Eugene Diggs Haney, 2012
    Janine Michelle Howard, 2014

Black Four Star Army Generals along with the year of their appointment

    Roscoe Robinson, Jr., 1982
    Colin Powell, 1989
    Johnnie E. Wilson, 1996
    Larry R. Ellis, 2001
    William Ward. 2006
    Lloyd J. Austin, 2010
    Dennis Via, 2012
    Vincent K. Brooks 2013

Black Four Star Air Force Generals along with the year of their appointment

    Daniel “Chappie” James, 1975
    Bernard P. Randolph, 1987
    Lloyd W. Newton, 1997
    Lester Lyles, 1999
    Edward A. Rice Jr., 2010
    Larry O. Spencer, 2014
    Darren W. McDew, 2014

Aside from the military forces of various nations on the African continent, I wonder what other countries have appointed as many black people to high military leadership positions as the USA has.

[just Warren]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/us/politics/military-minorities-leadership.html

This also made me wonder about the makeup of APS.  I suspect that the membership of this board is overwhelmingly white and male. 

Yes, I am overwhelmingly white and male.

[MechAg94]

Aside from the military forces of various nations on the African continent, I wonder what other countries have appointed as many black people to high military leadership positions as the USA has.

That would be interesting to see. 

[Ron]

I was born in 1964, the country was +85% white at the time, probably closer to 90%.

The demographic for high ranking officers right now are folks born around the same time as me give or take 10 years, call it 1954-74. We didn't start importing third worlders en mass until 1965.

Trump is the last hurrah and then ...

We're a declining empire with all the positions of power eventually to be overrun by diversity. Diversity that is not interested in preserving the culture, mores, institutions and laws of the founding stock. Hell, the founding stock doesn't even want to preserve any of it either.  

As far as diversity is concerned they've decided it is their turn now and you/us old white guys can foad already.

[Andiron]

Ron is depressingly accurate,  as usual.

[HeroHog]

white, White, WHITE, I FREAKING GLOW IN THE DARK! Not that there's anything wrong with that...
(checks underwear) Yup, Male.
Born in 57, you do the math.
College educated, blue collar to white collar kinda guy.
Up till we couldn't work and went bankrupt, LOW 6 figures.

[kgbsquirrel]

Just more of the usual identity politics divisive propaganda from the one source with possibly less credibility than CNN.

[Ron]

Considering the drum beat by the media of Trump being a racist over and over again, he has done a yeoman's job of trying to have a big tent.

I know it po's a lot of the white supremacists that he yammers on about black and Mexican American jobs, doing well etc. but he is president of the whole USA.  

We only need to peel off some of the minority to contingent, the contingent that realizes Heritage America is what makes America, America. Trump is helping them to be proud of being American.

We'll see if he can square the circle that has eluded every Republican throughout modern history.

[HankB]

. . . This also made me wonder about the makeup of APS.  I suspect that the membership of this board is overwhelmingly white and male.  It would be interesting to see the demographics of this board.  Is the typical member here white, 40 years old, college educated, lives in the Midwest, married, works in IT, and earns $60K/year?  There must be some data out there on the demographics of gun owners.

Since I was born in the heart of Midwestern America  - Chicago, actually - my college financial aid application said I was Native American. (Never claimed to be American Indian.  )

Otherwise, male, early 60's, BS and MS degrees, now retired and living in Texas, worked in technology and got about a dozen patents, and doing somewhat better than $60k/year.

[Perd Hapley]

This also made me wonder about the makeup of APS.  I suspect that the membership of this board is overwhelmingly white and male.  It would be interesting to see the demographics of this board.  Is the typical member here white, 40 years old, college educated, lives in the Midwest, married, works in IT, and earns $60K/year?  There must be some data out there on the demographics of gun owners.

I was born a poor child.

But I was just as bright and talented as the white kids.

[AmbulanceDriver]

white, White, WHITE, I FREAKING GLOW IN THE DARK! Not that there's anything wrong with that...
(checks underwear) Yup, Male.
Born in 57, you do the math.
College educated, blue collar to white collar kinda guy.
Up till we couldn't work and went bankrupt, LOW 6 figures.

Weren't you on a nuke sub?   Maybe that explains it.

[just Warren]

He's old enough to have been on one of the old coal-fired paddle-wheel subs.

[RoadKingLarry]

Weren't you on a nuke sub?   Maybe that explains it.

He was on a tender I think.
Basically, a non-qual tender puke.

Me, on the other hand... My underway watch station was only about 40' from the reactor.
 

[kgbsquirrel]

Weren't you on a nuke sub?   Maybe that explains it.

Bioluminescent hominids. 

[HeroHog]

Sub Rescue and Salvage Ship ThankYouVeryMuch! I was a Diesel Engine Mech in the navy. Our ship was driven by 4 12 cylinder GM 12-278A diesels (12 cyl X 278 Cu In X 4 Engines) and the final drive was Electric with 4 motors driving a single shaft. Our aux generators were GM 6-71 (6 cyl X 71 cu in) diesels.

[just Warren]

Bioluminescent hominids. 

One of the more underrated bands from the '70s era glowpunk scene.