Government regulations require many businesses to have a staff that is racially representative of their communities. And of course, HR managers have to track this. However, a recent survey shows the U.S. military isn’t living up to this standard.
African Americans make up about 17% of the armed forces. However, only 9% of all officers are African American, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.
This comes 60 years after President Truman desegregated the military.
For general officers with one to four stars, the number falls to 6%.
Only one of the 38 four-star generals or admirals serving as of May was African American. Only 10 African American men have ever gained four-star rank.
The lack of African Americans among officers provides few mentors for younger African Americans in the military.
