Racial Diversity within the Marine Corps

In comparison to the U.S. population, non-Whites are not represented fairly in the Marine Corps Officer and Senior Non-Commissioned Officer NCO leadership. Diversity is an increasingly important topic in the civilian world as well as in the military. Experts in organizational behavior tend to agree that diversity fosters multiple points of view in problem solving and decreases group think. Organizations that foster diversity also tend to have better teamwork, accomplish more missions, and have higher recruitment levels. Based on numbers provided by the Department of Navy Diversity, the Marine Corps is a very diverse organization. However, the Marine Corps officer and Senior NCO leadership is far from diverse. This study shows that Whites are overrepresented among Marine Corps officers, while all other racial groups are underrepresented. In the case of Senior NCOs, Whites and all races other than Black are underrepresented, while Blacks are overrepresented. The author explores some potential reasons for these demographics. The author also briefly examines diversity in other military services to determine if this situation is exclusive to the Marine Corps or if it exists throughout the Department of Defense. By continuing to study the state of the Marine Corps with regard to diversity, the Marines can continue to take measures to recruit, retain, and promote its members in a way that ensures the forces diversity.