Blacks and the military / Martin Binkin [et al.].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Binkin, Martin, 1928-

Contributor:

Binkin, Martin, 1928-

Series:

Studies in defense policy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Armed Forces--African Americans.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (206 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington : Brookings Institution, 1982.

Summary:

For much of the nation's history, the participation of blacks in the armed forces was approximately in line with their proportion in the total population. This changed during the 1970s: by 1980 one of every three Army GIs and one of every five marines were black. The reaction has been mixed. Many Americans look with approval on the growth of black participation in military service, since it often affords young blacks educational, social, and financial opportunities that constitute a bridge to a better life not otherwise available to them. But for other Americans, the opportunities are outweighed by the disproportionate imposition of the burden of defense on a segment of the population that has not enjoyed a fair share of the benefits that society confers. From this perspective, the likelihood that blacks would suffer at least a third--and perhaps a half--of the combat fatalities in the initial stages of conflict is considered immoral, unethical, or otherwise contrary to the percepts of democratic institutions. Some also worry that military forces with such a high fraction of blacks entail risks to U.S. national security, A socially unrepresentative force, it is argued, may lack the cohesion considered vital to combat effectiveness. Others fear that such a force would be unreliable if it were deployed in situations that would test the alliance of its minority members. And some have even expressed concern that a large proportion of blacks may raise questions about the status of U.S. fighting forces, as judged by the American public, that nation's allies, and its adversaries. The authors of this book examine evidence on both sides of the issue in an effort to bring objective scrutiny to bear on questions that for many years have been loaded with emotion and subjective reactions. They also discuss the implications for the military's racial

composition of demographic, economic, and technological trends and the possible effects of returning to some form of conscription. Brookings Studies in Defense Policy.

Contents:

Front Cover

Title Page

Copyright Information

Foreword

Table of Contents

The Setting

From Bunker Hill to Vietnam

Blacks in the Post-Vietnam Army

Benefits versus Burdens

Racial Composition and National Security

Looking Ahead

The Policy Dilemma

Appendix A: Racial-Ethnic Categories in the Armed Forces

Appendix B: Statistical Tables

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780815709732

0815709730

OCLC:

1273306167