Is the military doing enough to staff its top brass with women and ethnic minorities? No, says an independent report handed to Congress this week. The Military Leadership Diversity Commission found that 77 percent of senior officers are white, while only 8 percent are black, and 5 percent Hispanic. In addition, more than eight out of ten senior officers are men, and only 16 percent are women. "The armed forces have not yet succeeded in developing a continuing stream of leaders who are as demographically diverse as the nation they serve," said the report. Should the military be doing more to let women and ethnic minorities rise to the top?
No. We should promote the best, not the most diverse: The military isn't a "university campus or some corporate board," says Bruce McQuain at Hot Air. Its goal is victory, not diversity. We should continue to allow the "best leaders to rise to the top," regardless of their race or gender. Saying that the U.S. military ought to mirror the nation's demographics, "regardless of their abilities or capacity to lead in combat," is simply "nonsense."
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