Yes folks, we’ve officially now reached the point where the college-style religion of “diversity” has now infected even the most elite of American fighting forces.
Because many of the US military’s special forces are “overwhelmingly led and manned by white officers and enlisted troops,” the Pentagon has now “stressed the need to create more diverse forces to handle future threats.”
“An expert at the Pentagon on the diversity of commando forces said the lack of minorities robs the military of skills it needs to win,” USA Today reports.
Black officers and enlisted troops are scarce in some special operations units in highest demand, according to data provided by the Pentagon to USA TODAY. For instance, eight of 753 SEAL officers are black, or 1%.
“We don’t know where we will find ourselves in the future,” said Army Col. Michael Copenhaver, who has published a paper on diversity in special operating forces. “One thing is for sure: We will find ourselves around the globe. And around the globe you have different cultural backgrounds everywhere. Having that kind of a diverse force can only increase your operational capability.”
Special operations forces, including SEALs and the Army’s Green Berets, are often the face of the American military in foreign hot spots where they rescue hostages, raid terrorist camps and train local troops. SEAL Team 6 famously raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan and killed him. As the military sheds conventional forces — the Army will pare 40,000 soldiers in the next few years — special operators’ ranks continue to be filled as demand for their unique capabilities remains high.
While it certainly makes complete sense to have people with specializations (including, yes, relevant cultural/racial backgrounds) for areas in which you’ll be operating, the article focuses on the superficiality of mere numbers.
After all, how many of SEAL Team 6 were Muslim and/or Middle Eastern? Further, the article notes that the percentage of Native Americans/Alaskan Natives in the Navy SEALs is double that of blacks.
Either that’s a very good thing (since Natives are traditionally under-represented in many areas), or it’s a bad one since we’re unlikely to initiate special ops in the Yukon Territory.
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