A More Diverse Force
Is A Stronger Force
By Lieutenant General Jay B. Silveria
When I first arrived at the United
States Air Force Academy in 1981,
I looked to my left and right and
His View
found an incoming class that was generally
homogenous. We were mostly white, and about 90
percent male. Most of us came from middle class,
nuclear families, had attended good public schools
in the suburbs and brought to our education and
training an intellectual foundation built on a similar
worldview.
My fellow cadets and I were a group of good
scholars and determined athletes – eagle scouts,
team captains and honor roll students – all destined
to do great things as leaders for our country. But we
weren’t an accurate reflection of America’s full
potential.
Now well into my third decade of service in the
Air Force, I returned to my alma mater just over a
year ago to take command as Superintendent and
lead the Academy. I returned to an institution much
different from the one I attended, one that is
continuing to evolve, and one that is on a positive
trajectory toward looking and thinking more like the
society it serves.
This is a direction of greater capability and
renewed relevance, accomplished through more fully
utilizing one of our nation’s greatest strengths – its
uncommon diversity.
This past summer we welcomed our newest
class, the Class of 2022, to the same basic cadet
training I attended more than 37 years ago, where
some of our nation’s most promising young people
begin the challenging experience that develops
them into the future leaders of our Air Force.
This class is already remarkable, arriving with
our highest percentage of female applicants ever
(more than 30 percent of applications), and having
accepted our highest percentage of minority
applicants ever (33.5 percent). But just as important,
they’re off to an impressive start, getting through
basic cadet training with the lowest attrition rate
in our history. As an institution bound by federal
law, this progress was not made through the
implementation of quotas.
Instead I credit our admissions office for its
outreach to potential applicants in every corner of the
country, where they’re encouraging students to apply
who have great potential for success at our
Academy, but didn’t know it was an opportunity
accessible to them. They’re looking at ways to reach
students at a younger age, and spark an early
interest in our programs while students still have
time to chart their course toward a competitive
application.
Our team is improving information access and
finding students of all backgrounds who are up to the
challenge.
We’re not done in these efforts, and we’re going
to continue to strive to improve our numbers and our
work in communication and outreach. When I’m
questioned about the worthiness of this endeavor and
the resources we’re dedicating to it, I can respond
confidently and without hesitation: it will make us a
stronger and more effective Academy, and in turn
build a stronger and more effective Air Force.
I’ve come to this position directly from the 21st
Century battlefield, and I’ve seen that it demands
from its warrior leaders a new level of innovation,
creative thinking, and mental agility. The achievement
of these requirements is imperative to our success in
combat, and can be aided in no small part by a force
armed with a variety of thoughts and perspectives,
capable of approaching a problem from many
directions.
This is where a more diverse force becomes
a stronger force. When we can apply the qualities
derived from diverse backgrounds, upbringings,
cultures, and experiences, and look at our world
and its challenges from different angles, we are
immensely more capable.
It was a great honor to attend the 2018 National
LATINA Symposiumthis fall and discuss some of the
United States Air Force Academy’s efforts on this
crucial front, but it was an even greater honor to
accompany the USAFA cadets, staff and faculty, and
other military members present as they accepted
awards for their outstanding achievements.
Thank you to LATINA Style for the opportunity
to share our stories, and for showcasing the
incredible qualities, capabilities, and diversity of our
military force. LS
Want to comment or have any questions on
this article? Email us at info@latinastyle.com
Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria is the
Superintendent, U.S. Air Force
Academy, Colorado Springs,
Colorado. He directs a four-year
regimen of military training,
academics, athletic and
character development programs
leading to a Bachelor of Science
degree and a commission as a
second lieutenant. Prior to
assuming his current position, he
served as the Deputy
Commander, U.S. Air Forces
Central Command, and Deputy
Commander, Combined Air Force
Air Component, U.S. Central
Command, Southwest Asia.
46 www.latinastyle.com LATINAStyle Vol. 24, No. 6, 2018
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