A memo from President Obama sets new requirements for national security agencies to increase diversity and inclusiveness in their workforces.
“As the United States becomes more diverse and the challenges we face more complex, we must continue to invest in policies to recruit, retain, and develop the best and brightest from all segments of our population. Research has shown that diverse groups are more effective at problem solving than homogeneous groups, and policies that promote diversity and inclusion will enhance our ability to draw from the broadest possible pool of talent, solve our toughest challenges, maximize employee engagement and innovation, and lead by example by setting a high standard for providing access to opportunity to all segments of our society,” the memo says.
It says that current data indicate that national security agencies are less diverse than the federal workforce in general in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity. Also, while all agencies’ leadership staffs were less diverse than their respective workforces in terms of gender, and all but DoD enlisted personnel and USAID civil service had less diverse leadership in terms of race and ethnicity.
“While these data do not necessarily indicate the existence of barriers to equal employment opportunity, we can do more to promote diversity in the national security workforce, consistent with merit system principles and applicable law,” it says.
The memo follows a 2011 executive order establishing a government-wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce and a 2015 order directing agencies to take additional steps to expand the pipeline of diverse talent into senior positions.
The memo specifically applies to State; USAID; DoD commissioned officers, enlisted personnel, and civilian personnel; the 17 members of the intelligence community; Treasury’s Office of International Affairs and Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection; Justice’s National Security Division and FBI; and DHS.
