WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense has made creating an inclusive environment free from harassment and discrimination a priority.
On building a more diverse force -- which currently has 41% of troops who identify as being members of a minority -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said earlier this year, "I've got to make sure that we continue to make strides."
Now, the Government Accountability Office is raising questions about the DOD's military academies.
In a new report, the GAO says the schools have taken actions to improve organizational climate by incorporating leading practices for managing workforce diversity. Additionally, the GAO says the service academies have recognized the need to recruit more diverse faculty, but need to develop measures to assess the success of their actions.
According to the GAO, while the academies monitor the number and basis of equal opportunity complaints, they do not fully capture information on alleged incidents of discrimination and harassment that are not submitted through the complaint processing system.
In short: they don't know what they don't know.
Without action, the GAO says "the academies will continue to have an incomplete picture of their organizational climate. This will limit the academies' ability to identify problems, implement actions, and measure outcomes."
The report says the academies' student populations are mostly white: 64% at the Air Force Academy, 62% at the US Military Academy at West Point, and 60% at the Naval Academy.