Maggie Shartel

Gonzaga University

COML506 Fall(B) 2011

• Background

• Key Metrics for Seattle Battalion

• New Army Ad Campaign and illustrations of diversity

• Closing

• References

Each year the United States Army Recruiting Command has a numeric goal of the number of Recruits they hope to access to the Army. (http://www.usarec.army.mil/)

The Army has the numbers planned of: job in the Army, gender of the applicant, amount of education (based

upon test scores) the applicant has, and specific guidelines to bring in diverse applicants.

Seattle Recruiting Battalion has missions specifically geared to Native American, African American, Asian

Pacific Islander and Hispanic recruiting Numbers.

“The United States Army is a vast organization with a global presence. One of its central sources of strength is the diversity of its workforce, which encompasses 1.5 million personnel across the active, reserve, civilian and contractor components.“ (Reyes, 2006).

For the purposes of this presentation, we will focus on recruiting mechanisms that can increase diversity in the future soldier and new enlistee populations.

“Diversity assumes that differences can add organizational value and enhance mission accomplishment, while EO does not assume that improved organizational effectiveness is a primary outcome. Diversity also focuses on the organization and its people, while EO focuses on individuals and groups of people.” (Reyes, 2006)

Each month a recruiting battalion compiles vast amounts of data onto a one page round-up called

Key Metrics.

This is basically a marketing document that shows three year averages, where the battalion stands in

overall mission accomplishment—including maintaining their future soldier pool, as well as numerical data on diversity and special mission

recruiting.

On the next page is the overall round-up from Seattle Battalion for August, 2011, just before the

end of the fiscal year.

This document is from a monthly report completed in August, 2011. It shows numerical data on where the battalion stands in relationship to its overall recruiting missions—and budgetary

constraints.

Seattle Battalion has gone down inMarket Share. That is recruits per The available potential applicants the ArmyGets over Marines, Air Force, etc.

Why do we need to look at diversity recruiting?

Hint: it‟s not just because the mission dictates.

In the above section of Key metrics, We see that the P:P ratio is doing okIn most areas, except Native American Population

Local and Higher level fundsVs. number of leads based on those funds.

Symbol of Strength: Opportunity

What do we see?1) Multi-cultural Group of soldiers fades into the American Flag.

2) Members of a team (multi-cultural) “ticket to anywhere in the world” slogan.

3) SSG Salvatore Giunta—first living recipient of MOH since Vietnam, fades into an African American Captain.

Absent in this video showing multi-culturalism as “Opportunity” : Native American Soldiers, Asian/Pacific Islanders.

“As the nation‟s military academies try to recruit more minorities, they aren‟t getting much help from members of Congress from urban districts with large members of blacks, Hispanics, and Asians.” (Witte, 2009)

Does it matter in a “all-volunteer” force?

“In the best of all possible worlds, ethnic representation Within the Army should reflect at least roughly the ethnic proportions of the general population.” (Matthewsand Pavri, 1999)

What do we see?1) Uniform—not much in the way of using specific ethnicities.

2) Soldiers mostly in combat situations.

3) No women.

“All statutory combat exclusions affecting women have been repealed. By policy, women are permitted to compete for assignments in aircraft, including those Engaged in combat missions…the main remaining policy bar to combat participation By women lies in the directive that they not be assigned „ to units engaged in Direct combat on the ground.‟”(Matthews and Pavri, 1999)

We know this statement above is old, and that women are engaged in combat.

However, they are not included in the „education‟ symbol of strength campaign, Which shows the education of combat (adventure) for all intents and purposes.

What do we see?1) Doctor is Hispanic? Entering into multi-cultural again.

2) A female soldier interacting with the population in full battle-rattle. Local nationals from the combat zones—and women there too, as well as more diverse soldiers

3) Slogan: “It‟s a chance to change the future.”

Arguably, of the three available (on youtube) ads for the new campaign, the one titled leadership is the most diverse, not only on the basis of ethnicity, but also gender and potential careers in the Army.

Why are Education and Opportunity so lightly representative of diversity?

This goes back to difficulty in recruiting in general: very few people in the general population are qualified to enlist or get a commission in the military because of such restrictions as “education (high school diploma or General Education Degree), aptitude (Armed Forces Qualification Test Score) , weight, number of dependents, convictions, and drug related offenses.” (Asch, Buck, Klerman, Kleykamp and Loughran, 2009)

While the local battalion has numerous print ad sources for local events thatAre geared to the minorities they must recruit in order to meet mission, theRecruiters are having a difficult time connecting to diverse applicants.

Some of this may just not speaking the language (not the actual language ofThe minority recruit—the language of the target demographic of Generation Y)

Some of this may also be that the ad campaigns themselves do not promoteDiversity on the level the Army wishes to recruit. Not one of the new ads Showed a Native American soldier.

Desai, A., & Roberts, M. (2008, July/Aug). Youth of Color Resist Military Recruiting. Dollars and Sense, p. 7.

Gorman, L., & Thomas, G. W. (1993). General Intellectual Achievement, Enlistment Intentions and Racial Representativeness in the US Military. Armed Forces and Society, 19(4), 611-624.

Lind, W. (2011, April). Men Overboard. The American Conservative, p. 22.Matthews, L. J., & Pavri, T. (1999). Population Diversity and the US Military. Carslise, PA: US Aarmy War College, Stratigic Studies Insitute.

Reyes (Lt.Col.), A. D. (2006). Strategic Options for Handeling Diversity in the US Army. Washington D.C.: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies.

Smith, R. J., & Ramsey, C. E. (n.d.). Attitudes of Japanese High School Students Toward the Military. Public Opinion Quarterly, pp. 248-254.

Watson (Ph.D), J. R. (2010, March/April). Language and Culture Training: Separate Paths? Military Review, pp. 92-97.

Witte, B. (2009, December 14). Lawmakers from Minority Districts Appointing Few to Service Acadamies. Community College Week, p. 4.