Improving Demographic Diversity in the United States Air Force Pilot Career Fields Through Recruiting and Accession Programs
Abstract
In recent years, the Air Force made significant efforts to embrace the value of a diverse force and continues to message that is a crucial element of mission effectiveness. It has adopted a broad definition of diversity and has put forth numerous policies and initiatives with the goal of improving diversity in the Air Force and pilot career fields. The Air Force falls short in its attempt to track wide-ranging and complete data and also lacks the resources to properly assess its diversity initiatives. The data presented in this project suggests the Air Force recruits a demographically diverse officer corps representative of the eligible population; however, challenges exist in determining an accurate and comprehensive picture of pilot diversity due to a lack of data points and adequate benchmarks. The Air Force also needs to balance recruiting and retaining diverse pilots and should consider tailoring outreach and recruiting programs to attract more diverse candidates, counter the lack of interest and desire to become a pilot displayed in specific demographics, and remove potential barriers in order to improve pilot demographics. The Air Force must address its gaps in officer accessions, evaluate the diversity of its pilot force, and aggressively pursue diversity initiatives, or it runs the risk of losing touch with it most lethal weapon systems; its personnel and the nation it serves.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 03, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1177178
Entities
People
- Jennifer L. Prouty
Organizations
- Marine Corps University