The Air Force's Black DEI Myths

The Myth of Meritocracy

The construct of meritocracy in our Armed Forces has a fundamental flaw. At its very foundation is the unequivocal fabrication that conscious and unconscious bias have ceased to exist. More specifically, the flawed notion is that every human in the military establishment acts without bias or considering subjective factors like race when choosing people for advancement and evaluating leadership potential.

      Of course, we could have a true meritocracy if our systems give the same advantages to everyone in the system regardless of race or gender. But in reality, no system in the federal government, military, or corporate sector does that. Why? Because the people in the system aren't perfect, they have flaws. They have biases. We all do. In every system, there are people with preferences, both conscious and unconscious. Most people in any system have set up a system that favors them whether they see it or not. DEI exists in part to point out these systemic biases and correct them.

       Secretary of Defense Mr. Pete Hegseth, a self-proclaimed prophet of "meritocracy," said that there are no advantages or disadvantages based on race:

"Hegseth said…DEI tells young airmen and others, 'Hey, if you're a young black man or black woman, you have an inherent set of disadvantages,' or 'If you're a white woman or a white man, you have an inherent set of advantages.' You're starting off from a place that creates division and skepticism. You can't have that inside a unit."
https://www.thefp.com/p/dei-military-pete-hegseth-trump

A true meritocracy can only exist in a world where Mr. Hegseth's faulty theory of no inherent disadvantages or advantages exists. One advantage that any majority has is that it defines the rules of engagement. In Mr. Hegseth's majority, job performance and demonstrated leadership are irrelevant. The major factor to be considered is whether you are anti-DEI. Anyone who pursues or expresses support for DEI is automatically disqualified. He who makes the rules, rules.
In Mr. Hegseth's mythical world of meritocracy, the majority can apply rigorous standards for both qualifications and performance for minority candidates yet totally ignore these standards for majority candidates. It's as if the anti-DEI proponents are saying the least of us is better than the best of you. Mr. Hegseth is the poster child for these sentiments. I saw the basis of this line of thinking expressed eloquently in an article in a recent New York Times article:

"But the message is the same, that women, Black and brown communities are inherently less capable, and if they hold positions of power or authority in government or business, it must be because the standards were lowered."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/03/us/politics/trump-diversity-racism.html?campaign_id=190&emc=edit_ufn_20250203&instance_id=146539&nl=from-the-times&regi_id=104956878&segment_id=190026&user_id=5d7887e61efd304ece39aa66f51ab5b2

What kind of meritocracy exists when one of the most qualified Air Force Chiefs of Staff we've had in a decade can be casually and definitively dismissed as "a DEI hire" by a boss with infinitely less experience and qualifications and the narrowest approval for his post in the history of the military?

     Pete Hegseth, is deemed qualified with little to no credentials. Somehow, Hegseth is being touted as qualified simply because he will fire anyone who has previously supported DEI. His riddance of DEI from the department will somehow greatly enhance its effectiveness despite the fact that Hegseth has infinitely less combat and organizational leadership (civilian or military) compared to any Secretary of Defense in recent history. Hegseth's greatest qualification is his loyalty to President Trump and anti-DEI principles.

"President-elect Donald Trump's choice of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and former National Guard soldier, for secretary of defense is being met with disbelief and outrage among some members of Congress and former military officers.

      If confirmed, he would be the least experienced defense secretary in the history of the republic, going back to Henry Knox, the first secretary of war who was a key officer in Washington's army. Those who rise to that post often come from Capitol Hill, industry or the highest ranks of the officer corps.

      He served in Iraq and Afghanistan and left the Army National Guard as a major in 2021. Beyond his inexperience, Trump's selection of Hegseth has also renewed scrutiny of his political and religious views, his advocacy for soldiers accused of war crimes, and his aggressive criticism of the military he would be leading."
https://www.npr.org/2024/11/14/nx-s1-5191941/pete-hegseth-defense-department-dei

"McConnell explained his no vote in a statement issued Friday, "Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests. Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test. But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been."
https://www.newsweek.com/mitch-mcconnell-pete-hegseth-confirmation-vote-donald-trump-2020804

"Even a cursory review of Hegseth's background reveals he has little knowledge or experience of complex national security issues. Previous secretaries led large, complex organizations, held high-level civilian positions in the Pentagon or strategic military commands, or were politicians — House members or senators with committee assignments that dealt with national security.

      Besides his role as a television host, Trump's nominee has led only two relatively small conservative nonprofit organizations: Concerned Veterans of America and the Veterans for Freedom. Both have been characterized in various reports as suffering from mismanagement, financial irresponsibility and possible self-dealing. Hegseth says that the stories about how he managed those organizations are not true and that they were made up to tank his nomination.

      The secretary of defense, the principal defense policy adviser to the president and a key member of the National Security Council, oversees 2 million uniformed service members, more than 700,000 civilian employees, an annual budget of $850 billion and major intelligence-gathering efforts. On any given day the Army has about 170,000 troops deployed, the Navy has 100 ships at sea, and the Air Force will conduct thousands of sorties. The defense secretary is responsible for all of that.

     Some senators have lauded Hegseth's service as a lieutenant and platoon leader in Iraq and Afghanistan, but his combat experience as a junior officer — while laudable — has little to do with serving as defense secretary.

      The Pentagon chief must also make critical decisions about military strategy, personnel and budgetary issues that require long-term analysis of defense investments that will affect America's current and future military force for decades. Consider the fact that the Air Force's ongoing program to deploy the B-21 bomber began in 2011, its first flight was in 2023, and it still has not entered operational service.

      While the secretary's role has increasingly focused on military preparedness and operations, it also includes a large diplomatic role. The defense secretary has primary responsibility for our nation's relations with foreign defense ministries. They work to establish and maintain alliances, secure support for American bases abroad, coordinate military aid, oversee weapons sales and more. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, for example, made over a dozen trips to Asia to strengthen the U.S. relationships with South Korea, Japan and Australia. He also chaired the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, whose membership grew from only NATO countries to over 50 states.

      Some have lauded Hegseth's service as a lieutenant and platoon leader, but his combat experience — while laudable — has little to do with serving as defense secretary.

      The president-elect appears unconcerned about Hegseth's background or lack of experience. Hegseth came to Trump's attention when he publicly advocated for the pardons of three service members who were convicted of war crimes. One was Army Lt. Clint Lorance, who ordered his platoon to fire on three unarmed Afghans and falsified reports about their deaths. Members of Lorance's platoon reported the incident and testified against him at his court-martial. And yet Trump, ignoring opposition from then- Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and numerous retired senior military officers, endorsed Hegseth's recommendation.

      Trump is also attracted to Hegseth as a "culture warrior" who believes the so-called woke military is the nation's most pressing national security problem.
Despite the above list of responsibilities a defense secretary has, Trump is looking for two things from his pick. First, he wants a defense secretary who demonstrates loyalty — if not fealty."

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/pete-hegseth-unqualifed-confirmation-hearing-senate-rcna187089

Meritocracy and the Black Air Force Officer

What is implied in Mr. Hegseth's concept of meritocracy is that it will work for black officers if…If you deny the existence of conscious and unconscious bias. If you conform. If you try to fit in. If you tone it down. If you promise not to say things that make the majority feel bad. If you agree with majority views even if they don't match your own. If you are willing to be subservient to white leaders even if they are far less qualified. In my mother's generation, they called this "knowing your place."

       Former standout F-22 pilot Major Daniel Walker and RC-135 pilot Major Nathan Dial coined the phrase the "good dude factor" to describe this need to fit in for your performance to matter in a culture contaminated with bias.

"Good Dude Factor

      I have used the word acculturation, W.E.B. Du Bois used the word two-ness to describe the dance, the art of being from one culture yet successfully navigating another. Two Air Force officers, Nathan Dial and Daniel Walker have coined the term 'good dude factor' to describe what it takes for African Americans to be successful in pilot training. (Dial & Walker, Institutional racism is boring, 2020)

      In the 21st century, institutional racism is boring and easy to miss. Our combined 18 years of experience as Air Force pilots has led us to conclude that racism, in an Air Force flying squadron, revolves around our inability to fully possess what we would call the 'good dude factor' (GDF).

      In a flying squadron, the GDF is a three-part concept that requires an individual to blend in with the community socially, be operationally competent and positively impact the organization. The GDF is a necessary characteristic to maximize opportunities in the Air Force.

      A leadership theory developed by social psychologists John R.P. French and Bertram Raven in the late 1950s and early '60s details six bases of power: coercion, reward, legitimate, expert, referent and informational. The GDF is a combination of referent and expert power. Referent power emanates from being highly liked and comfortable around peers, subordinates and superiors. Leaders with referent power are seen as role models. Expert power is an in-depth knowledge of the organization's core tasks. Leaders with expert power persuade organizations through their performance and skill sets…

      Institutional racism is boring because gatekeepers hold the referent power to sabotage, without fanfare, an individual who otherwise meets all qualifications. Daniel experienced this when his second-in-command told him that, although his flying skills were superior, he would be 'weeded out' of the F-22 community if he did not subdue his personality. Daniel's presence made his superiors feel uncomfortable. This is unsurprising, given only 1 percent of the Air Force's fighter pilots are Black. The gatekeepers saw his confidence as an unacceptable bravado, making them unable to see him as a role model.

      Institutional racism is easy to miss because even with the credentials and experience exhibiting expert power, airmen's voices can be quieted based on the GDF. Nathan experienced this when his commander questioned his admittance into an elite Air Force academic program that develops future strategic leaders. Nathan's blackness blinded his commander's ability to see and appreciate his qualifications. It took advocates from outside of his unit for his orders to be approved.

   In the Air Force, everything from administering punishments to offering opportunities is dependent on an individual's GDF…

       We first learned that our blackness limits our GDF during our four years at the Air Force Academy. Boring racism exists at USAFA because some classmates, superiors and subordinates with referent power attributed our opportunities there to a non-existent Black quota system that took away opportunities for qualified white cadets. Despite Nathan's superior performance and Daniel's below-average performance there, we came up short of obtaining the universal GDF.

     Boring racism is common at pilot training. For the opportunity to obtain the GDF, instructors required we smile and raise our voices' pitch, so we did not intimidate others when we spoke. Despite Daniel's superior performance and Nathan's below-average performance, our instructors told us we would have been better off had we blended in more. They informed us that to gain the GDF, in the operational Air Force, we had to hide stereotyped hallmarks of blackness by any means necessary.

In Mr. Hegseth's reenvisioning of performance, being a "good dude" means saluting smartly when he says there are no advantages based on race. It means taking being fired quietly and professionally, as General Brown did because, at one point in your career, you used to espouse inherent advantages and disadvantages based on race and meritocracy based on actual job performance and proven leadership.

      I included a quote from the Minority Air Force Officers Facebook page. In the quote, the term "good ole boy system" was used. It was a system of merit based solely on race and connections within the majority race. Minorities were to know their place in the system. The good ole boy system was a system in which blacks deferred, stood back, and settled for lesser positions, i.e., knew their place, even when they were more qualified. Affirmative action and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts were established to destroy the inherent cronyism of the good ole boy system.

     The inherent advantages of the good ole boy system for the majority in this system have not changed. The only thing that has changed is what we call it. Today, Mr. Hegseth calls it "meritocracy."