Military Leadership Diversity Commission works to empower future leaders
12/17/2009
by MC3 Lex T. Wenberg
SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- The Military Leadership Diversity Commission held its fourth meeting at downtown San Diego's Omni Hotel Dec. 15-16.

Congress formed the commission in late 2008 as a component of The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2009 to analyze promotion rates for minorities in military leadership roles. The commission, made up of a panel of military officers, senior enlisted and retirees from each of the services, will meet once a month for a year, and will then recommend actions to Congress regarding the military's promotional policies.

"The way we're looking at it is that we want to know that the military is reflecting the people of the country they're serving," said retired U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary P. O'Donnell, a commissioner on the panel. With this goal in mind, the commission has a number of set goals. One goal is to define the concept of diversity to serve as a basis of change and inclusion. The other is to ensure the correct steps are taken toward that end, said retired Navy Rear Adm. Jay DeLoach.

"We want to give Congress the tools to make this change happen," said DeLoach.

But instead of implementing changes to the military's promotion system, the commission's goal is to make a path to leadership clear to junior service members.

"Our efforts here are to determine what some of the extra challenges minorities face in promotion," said retired Senior Chief Thomas McGhee. "Then we want to remove some of those challenges.

At the current stage of planning, the meetings centered on analyzing the process of how officers and senior enlisted personnel are evaluated for promotion. Representatives from the different services described at great detail how officers go through a review board of seniors who determine their eligibility.

"We want to plant seeds of opportunity for junior leaders," said Navy Capt. Kathleen Contres. "We start every leader from the ground up, so we want to make sure they have the right tools with which to grow."

"We want an almost visual 'green line' for people to follow into leadership if they so choose," said McGhee.

While the meeting focused on diversity for leadership, the commission felt it was important to continually be aware of who would be led.

"The military is built on the shoulders of those who serve," said Navy Rear Adm. Cecil Haney. "We all bring immense capabilities to the service, so diversity enables people to feel empowered to do what needs to be done.