Navy SEALs seek minority candidates

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Ravage

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http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2010/11/navy-seal-diversity-110610w/

SAN DIEGO — The Naval Special Warfare Center is embarking on new marketing and awareness campaigns to reach more minority candidates who have the best odds of becoming Navy SEALs in the hope that those efforts will diversity the commando force.

The campaign is the latest move by Naval Special Warfare Command to boost its recruitment of minorities, particularly African-Americans, to attend the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL course and follow-on SEAL Qualification Training and join the all-male community of special operators — one that historically has been largely white.

The campaign started Oct. 1, but much of the work is just beginning, said Rosemary Heiss, an NSW Recruiting Directorate spokeswoman in Coronado, Calif.

Naval Special Warfare Command hired three contractors for the diversity initiative, which will renew naval special warfare’s outreach to historically black colleges and universities; develop new marketing strategies that focus awareness, screening and recruiting efforts on minority communities; and develop research that identifies the traits of successful BUD/S candidates to hone recruiting.

“Each initiative has a different approach to get a candidate that we want. When you have a multifaceted approach, you start to mesh the different initiatives together to get more successful candidates,” Cmdr. Brodes Hartley, naval special warfare’s force diversity officer, said in a Navy Compass article.

Navy SEAL training is considered among the toughest in the military, with attrition rates from BUD/S average roughly 75 percent. But efforts in recent years, including an expanded recruitment effort and retooled preparatory course at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Ill., are showing signs of easing attrition of potential SEAL and special warfare combatant-craft crewman candidates.

However, overall minority numbers still remain short of existing goals, and minority representation within NSW’s officer and enlisted communities remains much lower than what is reflected in the U.S. population.

Roughly 12.5 percent of the U.S. population is black, a number expected to rise to 13 percent by 2040, according to U.S. Census predictions. But only 10 percent of SEAL officers are minorities — with blacks representing 2 percent of officers — and minorities make up less than 20 percent of enlisted special warfare operators, according to a May contract solicitation for the pilot marketing and outreach program.

The latest plan comes as top military leaders — including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former CNO — have spoken publicly about the importance of diversifying the military for the next generation, with diversity targets set for 2037.

To reach those goals within its senior officer ranks, naval special warfare must boost the number graduating and completing all BUD/S and SEAL Qualification Training by 15 or 16 minority officers and 40 to 50 sailors, the command wrote in the solicitation.

The latest campaign also aims to tackle a long-running and vexing problem: Why aren’t minorities attracted to spec ops as much as white men?

A 1999 Rand study that examined diversity among the military’s spec ops forces found several key “barriers” cited as reasons fewer minority men opt to go into special operations. These included: the lack of minorities as role models within spec ops forces; little support within their own minority communities for choosing spec ops; and poor skills, little access or less experience with swimming, which is critical to spec ops diving missions and a must in meeting physical fitness requirements and completing demanding training.

110610nt_seal_diversity_800.JPG
Navy SEALs simulate the evacuation of an injured teammate during immediate action drills at the John C. Stennis Space Center.
 
They do this every two-three years.
Hard to get minorities into a program like this when your target audience generally doesn't swim.
SF and the Air Force have the same problem. Most inner-city pools don't exist anymore so blacks (as a population) don't have the required swimming skills.
Waste of money, just extend the wannabees contract by a year and put them in a prep program.
 
Who the fuck cares if minorities are under-represented. If they can do the job I don't give a shut whether they are black orange white latin or Chinese. The reason they are not in SOF is because they can't swim and many don't have the drive to do it. It's not racist it is fact. Otoh, I am willing to bet Latinos are over-represented in SOF compared to the population
 
Who the fuck cares if minorities are under-represented. If they can do the job I don't give a shut whether they are black orange white latin or Chinese. The reason they are not in SOF is because they can't swim and many don't have the drive to do it. It's not racist it is fact. Otoh, I am willing to bet Latinos are over-represented in SOF compared to the population

Bam.
 
Shit, there's plenty of white guy's can't handle that training. Who's fooling who here ?
 
I remember a specific Ranger NCO who was black... who was cracking jokes about "the token black guys in Regiment"... and HE said it was because of 2 things. Most "brothas" are lazy and don't want to work, and most brothas can't swim because there ain't no water you want to swim in, in the ghetto.

It was funny at the time, but it's also pretty true. We had mexicans and blacks and some chinese and puerto ricans and so on... those that had the desire, volunteered. Those who actually had the drive, got a beret. There is no purpose in a diversity program in a volunteer element because all you're going to do is get more volunteers that suck up slots and QUIT, regardless of what color they are.
 
Shit, there's plenty of white guy's can't handle that training. Who's fooling who here ?

I don't get what you're saying. Yes lots of white guys quit, that is true across the board. But the point of this is that black guys don't try. The reason's quoted in that Rand study go to show why I guess I don't want "minorities" here.

"the lack of minorities as role models within spec ops forces; little support within their own minority communities for choosing spec ops; and poor skills, little access or less experience with swimming, which is critical to spec ops diving missions and a must in meeting physical fitness requirements and completing demanding training."

How am I supposed to trust a guy with no skills. If he can't use a bow staff, and isn't a level 1100 on WoW I don't want him and neither do the ladys. Girls want guys with skills.

Sorry just trying to lighten the mood a bit
 
From a non-SOF point of view, there are only a very few black Infantrymen that I met who pulled their own weight and had the “team player” attitude, drive and discipline (those few have remained close friends). The best Infantry soldiers I have seen in consistency has been Latin soldiers hands down, hard workers and team players.
 
Race has nothing to do with it - either you cut it or you don't.

Purple's $.02
 
Good God! WTF is up with this diversity shit all over the damn place. No one is stopping anyone from getting the job they want if they have the drive and desire. Besides...might it be fair to say that a large pool of african americans that would have the athletic ability, drive and discipline to make it in SOF usually go the gridiron route? Why must the military always be used as a test cell for social issues in the United States? You dont see some agenda to get more white guys in the NBA. Everyone knows most of the greats in basketball are black but you still have your whites, latinos and asians sprinkled throughout.

The bottom line is the military is open to ALL men in the United States and so are all aspects of the military if you meet the standard. Last time i checked skin color was not one of the standards.
 
I'm a minority... disabled. ;) So does that mean they want me?

Your only good on Pizza !! }:-) ...................................................Canadian bacon, couph, couph !! :D



Seriously,

Most Marines, Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen can't make this grade. I don't care who you are or what you've been, you probably don't have what it takes to cut all 3 phases of BUD/S Add in SEAL TT, Freefall, BAC etc.

Like the man said, if you can cut the mustard your in and your an SO with NSW, if not, your on the fleet.

Here's my Bold statement

Diversity or not, there are people on this board that hold the Green Title of SOF under their screen name. They cannot or will not ever make it through BUD/S. It's a fact, live with it.

We have minorities that are SOF on this board. They all made their grades. Hold their heads up high and deliver high performance to their Teams.

You can't recruit based on color alone.
 
After rereading my post I think it’s a little out there on the racist side and I am not racist what so ever, so to anyone who might feel I was being racist with my comments I apologize it was not my intent. I was just pointing out my observations of the performance of non-SOF Infantry soldiers based on ethnicity. Personally I think anyone (regardless of race) can be trained to perform, it just takes some longer then others.
 
How am I supposed to trust a guy with no skills. If he can't use a bow staff, and isn't a level 1100 on WoW I don't want him and neither do the ladys. Girls want guys with skills.

Sorry just trying to lighten the mood a bit

That's why I worked so hard on my nunchuck and computer hacking skills... :D
 
I remember a specific Ranger NCO who was black... who was cracking jokes about "the token black guys in Regiment"... and HE said it was because of 2 things. Most "brothas" are lazy and don't want to work, and most brothas can't swim because there ain't no water you want to swim in, in the ghetto.

I remember that Marine Recon episode of Discovery's Surviving the cut -- there were a lot of black dudes in that batch of trainees.
 
Being a member of the "I'm not all black but I'm not all white so I'll say I'm Mocha Latte" faction, I'll chime in.

Recruiting based on race makes about as much sense as the National Hockey League trying to recruit specifically for more black skaters. Aside from guys like P.K. Subban, it just isn't going to happen because the target audience just isn't there. The services shouldn't taken a hit for not being as "diverse in color" as the rest of the country might want to see it. It's a volunteer organization and people either volunteer and make it or they don't. Plain and simple in my view.
 
I think you guys are missing the point.

The effort is not to recruit minorities ONLY because they are minorities, the effort is to address those reasons why minorities who might make it through the various pipelines don't even bother to apply. ("... the lack of minorities as role models within spec ops forces; little support within their own minority communities for choosing spec ops...") There's a high manpower demand and being able to attract ALL potential candidates is behind these initiatives.

I'm sure white guys who don't swim much suck up the technical work in Indoc like a sponge and make it; just like there are professional triatheletes who don't. With large untapped manpower pools already in uniform NSW seems to be trying to get, as stated in the article, those minorities who may be able to make it to simply be aware of the opportunities and to apply. I don't think anyone is saying put minorities in only because they are minorities and lower standards. "Lack of skills" will be weeded out during the pipeline.

Waste of money, just extend the wannabees contract by a year and put them in a prep program.

Like a Pre-indoc Indoc? or maybe like a performance rollback for selected candidates?

Regardless, the need appears to be increasing the total number of wannabes, which is what this "new" initiative attempts to address.
 
Just reading the article this is a marketing and recruiting tool, not a lowering or changing of standards.
 
Generally, the word diversity goes right up my ass. You're qualified, or you're not. And if you are, it's probably because you worked your ass off to earn it.

I believe that it doesn't matter what your ethnic/racial makeup is as long as you meet whatever standard is set. I've served with all types of people, and respected everyone who had enough drive and self-respect to do the job well, regardless of what they looked like. I'll drink with anyone that falls into the 'meets the standard' category.

But I've found that a lowering of standards often follows an intensified effort to recruit more minorities. And that is unacceptable. Whenever a command is tasked with increasing X by Y percent, commanders who are concerned with their report cards can become tempted to loosen the standards. In corporate America, this is bad business. In tactical units where lives most truly are on the line even in training, this is stellar idiocy and malfeasance.

I find the 'can't swim' argument a little specious. You're in the fucking Navy! Even assuming the only water you grew up near was a sidewalk puddle, once you're in the service you have access to rec facilities with pools and people who will teach you to swim, if you only ask and put in the effort. If a person is in the Navy and is unwilling to learn to swim well, to me that is an indication they don't have what (I assume) it takes to be a SEAL. Along the same lines, they're recruiting at colleges- colleges have athletic programs, rec programs, and great big fucking pools! There's no excuse not to learn to swim, particularly if a Naval career is even 1/100th of a possibility.

I'm willing to bet every male in the Navy is aware there are sailors in Oakleys who jump, dive, swim, and kill fuckers. If they aspire to be one of them, the qualifications are no secret. They could put in the time and effort to become viable candidates if they wanted to.

I do agree that figuring out what character traits or prior experiences/skill sets make a person likely to succeed at BUD/S is a worthwhile effort, especially given the historical fail rate.
 
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