Army Recruitment of Ethnic Minorities

Introduction

Army recruitment of ethnic minorities has different implications depending on the historical period and sociocultural context. It is a topic that has received more attention in recent years. Western armies historically have looked to increase their recruitment of ethnic minority members as their traditional recruitment populations (i.e., white, rural, male) have diminished. Another reason Western armies have sought to increase ethnic minority recruitment is to make their organizations reflective of the ethnic make-up of the nations they represent and to gain needed cultural insight and/or linguistic skills needed to manage international conflicts. Western armies’ push for more ethnic diversity also coincides with gender diversity initiatives. Internationally, armies may face issues in their minority recruitment efforts that are not prevalent in the West, including, issues of ethnic divisions that are much more complicated to handle due to religious differences, historical...