ORG 6700: Removing Stereotypes from the U.S. Military Culture

This report examines the importance of diversity and inclusion within the U.S. military, addressing the need to eliminate racial stereotypes. It explores the historical context of racial discrimination and the evolution of diversity within the armed forces. The report analyzes the purpose of embracing diversity, highlighting the benefits of a diverse workforce in terms of skills, competencies, and performance. It provides an overview of the U.S. military's plan to change its culture, addressing awareness, recognition, and transformation of stereotypes and behaviors. The discussion includes strategies for diversity, organizational developments, and inclusion, concluding with recommendations for fostering a more equitable and effective military environment. The report references relevant literature to support its findings and recommendations, emphasizing the importance of creating a military culture that values and embraces all individuals regardless of their background.

Running head: REMOVING STEREOTYPE FROM THE U.S. MILITARY
REMOVING STEREOTYPE FROM THE U.S. MILITARY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

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REMOVING STEREOTYPE FROM THE U.S. MILITARY
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Purpose of embracing diversity and inclusion in U.S. military.............................................2
Analysis of the plan to change the military’s culture.............................................................3
Transforming stereotypes.......................................................................................................4
Awareness..........................................................................................................................4
Recognition........................................................................................................................4
Transformation...................................................................................................................5
Transforming behaviors.........................................................................................................5
Diversity.............................................................................................................................5
Organizational developments.............................................................................................5
Inclusion.............................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
Diversity refers to the different attributes within people of a group (Kamarck, 2017).
Diversity can be based on physical attributes as well as invisible attributes of an individual.
The term inclusion is referred to the culture of any organization, without any discrimination
and promotes employee involvement (Kamarck, 2017). This report discusses about the policy
of embracing the diversity and promoting inclusion in the U.S. military. The report focuses
on transforming the racial discrimination prevailing in the U.S. military. The report begins
with the objective of the plan, the trends of racial discrimination prevailing in the U.S.
military, how to effectively transform the stereotype attitude and behavior of the group
members in the army and ending with some suitable remarks.
Discussion
Purpose of embracing diversity and inclusion in U.S. military
From the start, the U.S. military consisted of white army men however as time
progressed diversity increased within the military as more immigrants from Africa and Haiti
joined the U.S. military. This discrimination has resulted biasness during promotion,
healthcare provided to wounded soldiers, risk of dying during combat and while providing
military justice. Therefore, this report will focus on the racial discrimination prevailing in the
U.S. military.
As the modern warfare is changing rapidly, a military workforce requires new combat
and logical skills, competencies and knowledge. These skills can be achieved with diversity;
bringing in individuals from various backgrounds and cultures. Inclusion strategy ensures
equality during recruitment and promotion of the qualified soldiers representing the nation.
Inclusion offers protection and rights to the soldiers belonging to different demographic

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groups thus promoting a sense of security within them. Diversity and inclusion strategy will
help in increasing the efficiency and performance of the U.S. military.
For bringing a change in the culture, the U.S. military needs to embrace diversity and
inclusion. The consultancy can implement this change in the U.S. military by adhering to the
current laws and regulations. The diversity and inclusion strategy involves three long-term
goals:
 Building an effort of attracting and recruiting from a pool of candidates and selecting
the best ones to serve the nation.
 To develop and retain the individual with higher potential.
 To maintain sustainability of the diversity and inclusion effort taken by ensuring
leadership.
Analysis of the plan to change the military’s culture
African American soldiers have been serving in the U.S. military since the
Revolutionary War, serving in every war fought by U.S. In many of the battles, the U.S.
military did not like the idea about the black taking part in the warfare. However, most of the
sailors in the U.S. military were black as they were prohibited from serving in the army and
they were given the post of ordinary seaman. The white soldiers had a perception that the
black lacked the ability to fight and they used them as labor rather than employing them in
the field. During the world war, the black soldiers were given supporting roles yet their
enlistment in the army was the highest (Roediger, 2019).
Dysfunctional thought process is a psychological disorder that causes distress
in the person and abnormality in the culture or society of the person (Coleman, 2016). The
environment in which an individual lives influences dysfunctions. The black men serving the
US military tend to have a perception that they will not be treated equally in the military.
They were often subjected to ignorance during training which led to low motivation and lack

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of communication from them. As a result, the black men have developed a negative
perception for the U.S. military (Equal Opportunity: DOD Studies on Discrimination in the
Military, 2020).
Transforming stereotypes
Awareness
Long ago, the United States have promoted racial equality in the military workforce.
However recently it has been observed that racial discrimination is still in practice in the
military such as the white men having a US nationality are taking the ranks in the military.
Hence, it can be concluded that the military has little awareness for the black men and their
performance. It is identified that the commanders are unaware of this discrimination practices
among the soldiers therefore the commanders should be alerted at first. The military follows
strict regulations against racial discrimination however over the last 5 years only 18 soldiers
were discharged from their jobs out of 1.3 million soldiers. Hence, the commander in charge
should make proper investigation and implement the regulations without any biasness.
Recognition
During the world wars, black men were not awarded any medal of honor for their
performance in the battlefield until the year 1982 a banquet was organized for the black
soldiers for awarding them with flag ranks, medals and stars. The people who retired were
given honors at National Guard Armory in Washington, D.C. It was the then president Harry
S. Truman who abolished the racial discrimination in the U.S. military in 1948 (Lauren,
2018). However, in the 21st century full racial integration should be brought among the black
and the whites. By providing them with equal treatments in facilities such as snacks,
swimming pool, chapels and movie theatres. They should be made to stay in the same
barracks (Fitzgerald, 2018).

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Transformation
Political implications will help in decreasing the racial discrimination among the
white men. Justice should be incorporated by changing the laws, practices and ideas relating
to racial discrimination and executing new laws which promotes equality among the soldiers.
Transforming behaviors
Diversity
According to Judith H. Katz, diversity helps to form a culture, which leads to higher
performance and higher operation from the team. The U.S. military should adopt the strategy
of diversity to bring in soldiers from different backgrounds with varied skills to enhance the
performance of the military (Greene, 2017).
Organizational developments
Miller states that the communication between people within an organization increases
the productivity of the organization. The individuals in the US military should be made to
have quality interactions among their team members to enhance the performance of the
military.
Inclusion
The authors believe inclusion can be used as a tool, which will help to promote certain
behavior among the employees in order to increase their interpersonal communication and
understanding. Promoting equality in the military while presenting awards, ranks and
promotion will help in achieving full integration within soldiers (Barak, 2016).
Conclusion
Hence, from the above report it can be concluded that by providing proper clarity,
communication within the military forces for embracing diversity and inclusion in the army

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will help in achieving higher performance from the group thus serving the nation in a much
better way.
References
Barak, M. E. M. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Sage
Publications.
Coleman, J. A. (2016). Racial differences in posttraumatic stress disorder in military
personnel: Intergenerational transmission of trauma as a theoretical lens. Journal of
Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 25(6), 561-579.
Equal Opportunity: DOD Studies on Discrimination in the Military. (2020). Retrieved 10
February 2020, from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-
95-103/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-95-103.html
Fitzgerald, K. J. (2018). Recognizing race and ethnicity: Power, privilege, and inequality.
Routledge.
Greene, R. (2017). Human behavior theory: A diversity framework. Routledge.
Kamarck, K. N. (2017). Diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity in the armed services:
Background and issues for Congress(CRS Report R44321). Washington, D.C.:
Congressional Research Service.
Lauren, P. G. (2018). Power and prejudice: The politics and diplomacy of racial
discrimination. Routledge.
Roediger, D. R. (2019). How race survived US history: From settlement and slavery to the
Obama phenomenon. Verso.