thedrifter
10-19-07, 07:13 PM
Lawmakers want review of minority promotions
By Rick Maze - Staff writers
Posted : Friday Oct 19, 2007 15:59:50 EDT
Worried than many minority officers are giving up on their military careers because it takes longer for them to rise through the military ranks than the corporate career ladder, a Florida lawmaker vowed Thursday to push for a review of officer promotion laws next year to see if something can be done to make staying in uniform more attractive to minorities.
Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the House Armed Services Committee, said young military officers are impatient and don’t want to wait two decades or longer to rise in the ranks when there are opportunities in the private sector.
“Maybe it is time to take a closer look at promotion policies to see if we can do something about it,” Meek said.
He and other caucus members met Tuesday with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughhead and Navy Secretary Donald Winter to talk about ways of getting more minorities into the officer ranks. Meek said the meeting included discussion of increasing ROTC and Junior ROTC programs at schools with large minority populations, ideas for getting more mentors for young minority officers and how to ensure minorities are considered for key wartime leadership roles, which could be a big factor in their promotion chances down the road.
The meeting with the Navy’s top leaders came after the Black Caucus went to the Pentagon two weeks ago for what they thought would be a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, only to learn at the last minute that the service vice chiefs had been scheduled to meet with the lawmakers instead.
What caucus members took to be a slight at the time was later found to be a misunderstanding when the meeting was originally planned; the service chiefs had never been scheduled to attend.
The meetings, which will be followed by similar discussions with Army and Air Force military and civilian leaders, are precedent-setting events, Meek said.
“It had never happened before in the history of the Black Caucus,” he said. The caucus was formed in 1970, near the end of the Vietnam War and just before the all-volunteer force was launched.
Black Caucus members are trying to be careful only to suggest changes, without being seen as influencing assignments or promotions, Meek said. “We do not want in any way to step in front of the service chiefs,” he said. “But we want them to know someone on Capitol Hill is watching.”
The review of promotion policies would include a look at limits set in federal law about how quickly officers can be considered for promotion, including time-in-service and time-in-grade requirements.
Meek said he did not know enough about the procedures to propose any changes but, in general, he thinks the promotion rules need more flexibility to allow for faster promotions for talented people. To ensure minorities are among the talented people getting promoted at a faster-than-average pace, Meek said he thinks it is important that every minority officer have a more senior officer to serve as a mentor and help guide their careers, and for minority officers to become more competitive for challenging assignments.
Ellie
By Rick Maze - Staff writers
Posted : Friday Oct 19, 2007 15:59:50 EDT
Worried than many minority officers are giving up on their military careers because it takes longer for them to rise through the military ranks than the corporate career ladder, a Florida lawmaker vowed Thursday to push for a review of officer promotion laws next year to see if something can be done to make staying in uniform more attractive to minorities.
Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the House Armed Services Committee, said young military officers are impatient and don’t want to wait two decades or longer to rise in the ranks when there are opportunities in the private sector.
“Maybe it is time to take a closer look at promotion policies to see if we can do something about it,” Meek said.
He and other caucus members met Tuesday with Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughhead and Navy Secretary Donald Winter to talk about ways of getting more minorities into the officer ranks. Meek said the meeting included discussion of increasing ROTC and Junior ROTC programs at schools with large minority populations, ideas for getting more mentors for young minority officers and how to ensure minorities are considered for key wartime leadership roles, which could be a big factor in their promotion chances down the road.
The meeting with the Navy’s top leaders came after the Black Caucus went to the Pentagon two weeks ago for what they thought would be a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, only to learn at the last minute that the service vice chiefs had been scheduled to meet with the lawmakers instead.
What caucus members took to be a slight at the time was later found to be a misunderstanding when the meeting was originally planned; the service chiefs had never been scheduled to attend.
The meetings, which will be followed by similar discussions with Army and Air Force military and civilian leaders, are precedent-setting events, Meek said.
“It had never happened before in the history of the Black Caucus,” he said. The caucus was formed in 1970, near the end of the Vietnam War and just before the all-volunteer force was launched.
Black Caucus members are trying to be careful only to suggest changes, without being seen as influencing assignments or promotions, Meek said. “We do not want in any way to step in front of the service chiefs,” he said. “But we want them to know someone on Capitol Hill is watching.”
The review of promotion policies would include a look at limits set in federal law about how quickly officers can be considered for promotion, including time-in-service and time-in-grade requirements.
Meek said he did not know enough about the procedures to propose any changes but, in general, he thinks the promotion rules need more flexibility to allow for faster promotions for talented people. To ensure minorities are among the talented people getting promoted at a faster-than-average pace, Meek said he thinks it is important that every minority officer have a more senior officer to serve as a mentor and help guide their careers, and for minority officers to become more competitive for challenging assignments.
Ellie