US military's elite commando forces look to expand diversity

Navy never h to look too hard to fill its elite SEAL force. For years, er recruits poured in to try out for naval special warfare teams — but y were overwhelmingly white.

w, Naval Special Warfare Command leers are trying to turn that around, developing programs to seek out recruits from more diverse regions of country.

“We have been passive in way that we recruit, We’re SEAL Team. Come find us,” said Rear m. H. Wyman Howard III, top commander for Naval Special Warfare, in an interview with Associated Press. w, he said, “we have to go where diversity lives."

Army leers have been doing some of same things. Lt. Gen. Fran Beaudette, he of Army Special Operations Command, said y have loosened some restrictions on who can try out for special forces units — which included requirements on amount of time in service or in rank a soldier h done. And Army has created new, specialized teams to better reach out to more diverse populations.

effort comes as military — and nation — struggles with racism, extremism and hate crimes. Leers see greater diversity as a way to combat extremism in ranks, even as y increase or training and education programs.

Commando forces — particularly officers — tend to be far less diverse than military as a whole. While only a small percent of those who try out eventually pass grueling, years-long training for special operations, leers hope that bringing in a wider array of recruits will le to a more diverse force.

As of March 2021, a full 95% of all SEAL and combatant-craft crew (SWCC) officers were white and just 2% were Black, according to Naval Special Warfare statistics provided to AP. officers corps of Army Special Forces is 87% white, and also 2% Black.

enlisted ranks are only slightly more diverse. About 84% of Navy SEAL and SWCC enlisted troops are white, and 2% are Black. greater diversity comes in number of American Indian, Alaskan Native and those who say y are “multiple” races. Army’s enlisted special forces are also 84% white, but percent of Blacks goes up to 4.

When all members of Naval Special Warfare and Army Special Operations Command are included — which would d combat support, civil affairs and psychological operations personnel — diversity grows slightly. But it still doesn’t match overall Army and Navy statistics. For example, 40% of Navy’s enlisted force and 24% of it’s officers are n-white.

Senior leers have few answers when asked why mirity recruits haven’t gravitated to special operations jobs in larger numbers. Some suggest that mirity youth in urban areas may t be exposed to troops who do more elite jobs, or that y tend to go where y see a greater ethnic mix.

For SEALs in particular, leers say young mirites may have less access to pools or be less focused on swimming and may t be attracted to jobs that require high levels of water expertise.

Most troops who join SEAL teams or Special Forces want to concentrate on combat missions, t recruiting. With fewer mirities overall, that leaves a tiny number that can be recruiters.

That will be changing. Howard has set up an outreach command that will send troops to cities like Chicago and Detroit to reach out to populations that orwise may t think about special warfare as a potential choice.

Meanwhile, Beaudette said Special Forces Command has “supercharged” its marketing. “We’ve become less shy about vocating for ourselves and explaining what it is we do and how we do it, ” he said.

One of more effective efforts, he said, is having a diverse group of young n-commissioned officers go to Army posts and stations, talking about ir experiences.

Alrey, he said, he's seen results from loosening some application requirements and boosting recruiting. For some of special operations jobs, as much as 20% more applicants have expressed interest in going through selection process. standards for passing course haven’t changed, he said, but at least applicant pool is more diverse.

More broly, Army Recruiting Command has set up two nine-member teams representing various ethnicities, ranks, jobs and to reach out to a wider array of recruits online and through community outreach. ir job is to tell ir stories, so that ors understand opportunities in military.

Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, who hes command, said Army and special operations leers are “all in agreement that diversity is good. It’s t necessarily what you look like — we do agree that that’s important — but it’s also diversity of thought and experiences that really d to making Army so much better.”

Howard and Beaudette say y hope that attracting a wider pool of applicants will eventually expand diversity, and help build a more inclusive force that can better protect America.

“I think, in a republic, it’s a foundational point — you have to reflect people you defend,” Howard said.

One of his first moves when he took command was to change his recruits' initial military experience.

For years, when SEAL and special warfare recruits arrived at boot camp y were quickly funneled into a separate training group to hone ir skills. But that specialized training h an unintended result: mostly white recruits h little interaction with a more diverse force.

separate training was designed, Howard said, to quickily build special operations force during Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and better prepare recruits as y moved into selection process for special warfare. But as he looked around, he realized it also enclosed m in a nearly all-white bubble.

“It me sense at time. Doesn’t make sense w,” said Howard, who took command last September and h eliminated separate training by December. w, all special warfare recruits go through boot camp with or sailor-trainees.

Sitting in Pentagon recently, Howard reflected on Jan. 6 insurrection at U.S. Capitol, and racial discord that has wracked nation. A number of former and current military members were among those who stormed Capitol.

He pulls a small, red, hard-bound copy of U.S. Constitution from his pocket. After riot, Howard bought 10,000 copies, and he and Navy Master Chief Bill King have been giving m to troops. Inside is a card with a mess to his force.

Serving nation, it says, “requires we remain strictly apolitical and n-partisan to maintain trust and confidence of all our fellow citizens.”

Handing out books, he said, reminds troops of ir oath, and that “we have an obligation to be inclusive, it's how we solve problems. And that's what we're doing.”

IM: AP