Air Force Announces ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ Initiatives to Recruit More Women

The United States Air Force announced new initiatives to recruit and retain more women and minorities, as Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James warned that those who choose to not understand “diversity and inclusion” will not thrive in the service.

The changes include giving women shorter than 5 feet 3 inches waivers so they can meet the height requirements to become pilots and “gender-neutral standards for all jobs.”

Federal News Radio reports:

Troubled by a lack of women and minorities at the Air Force’s higher levels, its leaders are rolling out nine initiatives focusing on recruitment, promotions and retention. Some are new ideas. Others are existing programs that will be enhanced, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said. […]

Women make up 19 percent of the Air Force. But they are twice as likely as men to cut their military careers short, James noted. Furthermore, she said, both women and people of color are underrepresented in the pilot ranks. She attributed the imbalance to a male-oriented military culture, rigid regulations and laws.

The initiatives were announced on Wednesday to coincide with Women’s History Month. James laid out the plan during a “Women and Leadership in National Security” conference in Washington, D.C.

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The Air Force will begin setting “gender-neutral standards for all jobs, including those in the seven career fields now closed to women,” Federal News Radio reported.

The new plan will also “make it easier for shorter people, those under 5-foot-4, to become pilots.”

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The Air Force currently requires pilots to be at least 5 foot 3 inches tall, and no taller than 6 foot 4 inches. They must also weigh between 160 to 231 pounds, depending on height.

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