The Underrepresentation of African Americans in Army Combat Arms Branches

Abstract

African American officers do not make it to the rank of general officer at a rate that is proportionate with the African American general population, creating a potential atmosphere of division between the American society and its military. Traditionally, the Army draws its preponderance of general officers from the combat arms branches. Disproportionate numbers of African Americans are not qualifying for combat arms branches or are choosing combat support and combat service support instead. This monograph analyzes this issue by examining the branch selection process at the various commissioning sources and highlights several short and long-term policy adjustments to address the shortfall.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 04, 2014
Accession Number
ADA614091

Entities

People

  • Marlan A. Thomas

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • African Americans
  • Artillery
  • Attrition
  • Civil War
  • Doctrine
  • Employment
  • General Officers
  • Military History
  • Military Science
  • Minority Groups
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • United States
  • Urban Areas
  • Warfare

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.