Report says too many whites, men leading military

[ensho]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110308/ap_on_re_us/us_military_diversity


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Seventy-seven percent of senior officers in the active-duty military are white, while only 8 percent are black, 5 percent are Hispanic and 16 percent are women, the report by an independent panel said, quoting data from September 2008.

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The report ordered by Congress in 2009 calls for greater diversity in the military's leadership so it will better reflect the racial, ethnic and gender mix in the armed forces and in American society.

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"This problem will only become more acute as the racial, ethnic and cultural makeup of the United States continues to change," said the report from the Military Leadership Diversity Commission, whose more than two dozen members included current and former military personnel as well as businessmen and other civilians.

Having military brass that better mirrors the nation can inspire future recruits and help create trust among the general population, the commission said.

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and

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-03-02-editorial02_ST_N.htm

Our view: Pentagon falls short in tackling sexual assault


Former Marine corporal Sarah Albertson made a startling admission last month about serving in Iraq's war-torn Fallujah: " I actually felt much safer there than I did back at our command" in Southern California, she told NBC's Today.

Albertson says she was raped in 2006 by a superior, a fellow Marine, at Camp Pendleton. After reporting the incident to her command, she was threatened with a charge of "inappropriate barracks conduct" because she admitted to drinking heavily before the assault. She says she was ostracized and told to "suck it up" while being forced to work with her alleged assailant, report to him daily and live one floor below him. The incident was investigated, she says, but her attacker was never prosecuted.

Albertson's story would be disturbing even if it were unique. It isn't.

Former Army sergeant Myla Haider says she was raped by an Army criminal investigator in 2002 while interning in South Korea. Rebekah Havrilla, also an Army sergeant, says she was mocked and sexually harassed by her supervisor in Afghanistan and raped by a colleague. The three women — who allowed their names to be used — are among 17 current and former servicemembers, including two men, who filed suit in federal court last month. The suit accuses the Defense Department of a "systemic failure" to prevent rapes and assaults on military bases and even at the service academies, where the next generations of leaders are trained.

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In 2009 alone, more than 3,200 servicemembers reported sexual assaults. That was up 20% since 2007, though it's unclear whether the increase reflects more incidents or better reporting.

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the pentagon should be turned into an apt. bldg. aircraft carriers should be turned into universities.

our military should be required to clean up all their toxic basis.

[ensho]

1. interesting how silent DUers are to this thread

nt

[Shandris]

3. Probably because it seems to lack any overt point other than 'dismantle the military'?

I think the Pentagon is HORRIBLY lacking in following up on, preventing, treating, and punishing sexual assault and harassment both. There needs to be more oversight and training, and those that don't approve of it can take the short end of the career ladder. I have no tolerance for foolish generals who think that its' still a boys club from 1941.

I also think that 'modelling the military to fit the demographics of society' is foolish. True merit SHOULD be the watchword of the day in regards to the military, I don't care if it makes every single sergeant, lieutenant, colonel, and general a man, a woman, a white, a black, an asian, or a pacific islander. Strict application of meritorious principles should be the one and only deciding factor.

[muntrv]

2. Don't forget too many Christian fundies in charge.