From Travis to Today

The US population is expected to become 'majority-minority' over the next few decades. This "tanning of America" highlights the urgent need for more diversity amongst its officer corps. This paper calls attention to this trend in much the same manner as those who attempted to bring awareness of the growing cultural bias and discrimination that fed discontent in the ranks and resulted in the racial violence that erupted throughout the US military during the late-1960s and early-1970s. At that time, the Armed Services' leaders were largely unaware and unconcerned with the issues of their growing Black enlisted populations but were eventually shocked into action when this disgruntlement turned into protest. A similar, but perhaps more profound cultural shift may occur within the US Air Force as it is expected that its newest enlistees in just over the next decade will be 'majority-minority.'