National Armed Forces Day: Disproportionality in Disciplinary Action

National Armed Forces Day is a national holiday honoring active-duty military personnel, celebrated annually on the third Saturday in May. It takes place each year during Armed Forces Week, which spans from the second Saturday in May to the third Sunday in May.

On this day, it is important to highlight the injustices that military personnel face in the current military system. According to a study that spans from 2010-2019, Black men in the Air Force’s junior enlisted ranks are 86% more likely than their white counterparts to face nonjudicial punishment or court-martial (Novelly, 2024). Over 50+ years, the disparities have hardly changed. Although these disparities have been seen repeatedly over years of research, the cause of these disparities have yet to be determined.

While Black airmen saw higher rates of non-judicial punishments and court-martials, the study found that they were less likely to be convicted than their white peers (Novelly, 2024). Even if an airman is not found guilty, the process could have a negative impact on the airman’s reputation.

The 2017 workplace and Equal Opportunity Survey of Active Duty Members showed that 31.2% of Black/African American service members reported suffering racial discrimination, harassment, or both in the past 12 months, compared with 23.3% of Asian American troops and 21% of Hispanic troops.

As the celebration of active-duty personnel emerges, we promote equity in disciplinary action and aim to improve their experiences in the military, eliminating bias once and for all.

References

Novelly, T. (2024, April 18). Black Enlisted Airmen Face Court-Martial at Much Higher Rates than White Peers, Study Finds. Military.com. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/04/18/black-enlisted-airmen-face-court-martial-much-higher-rates-white-peers-study-finds.html

2017 Workplace and Equal Opportunity Survey of Active duty members: Executive Report – OPA.gov (No. 2018–023). (n.d.). https://www.opa.mil/research-analysis/quality-of-work-life/workplace-climate/2017-workplace-and-equal-opportunity-survey-of-active-duty-members/2017-workplace-and-equal-opportunity-survey-of-active-duty-members-executive-report/