A little over two weeks ago an African American sailor in the U.S. Navy found a noose in his bed aboard a San Diego based ship. The guilty party has come forward, but the investigation is still ongoing. This is unfortunately not the only instance of racial hatred and misconduct currently being scrutinized by the Navy.
Another incident occurred when what was described as “hate speech graffiti” was found in a bathroom aboard the USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier, also currently stationed in San Diego. It is yet unclear at whom the graffiti was directed and from whose hand it came. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into the matters and the Navy task force has released a report including dozens of recommendations to eliminate racist and discriminatory policies within the military.
Racism and all other forms of discrimination further disconnect amongst soldiers, and in a situation where cohesion is of the utmost importance, not meshing well could be the difference between life and death for some individuals. Admiral Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations was quoted saying that “If we must first question the intentions of our shipmate standing the watch with us, now, and especially, when taking fire, we will fail when the Nation needs us must in combat.” He insinuates that if we cannot stand and defend the nation as one, with discrimination in our ranks we can never succeed.
There is a new leader in the Pentagon, Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Defense was confirmed late last month and already has some tough challenges to face. The pick, Lloyd Austin, became the first black defense secretary, receiving almost no opposition in a 93-2 vote. Austin is being tested early with internal strife that hits close to home but has thus far done well. He has responded by ordering military-wide stand-downs to address extremism, including white nationalism in the ranks.
It was reported by a Reuters Defense Department Survey that almost one-third of black military members have experienced some kind of discrimination or harassment based on their race during the last year. This is not a sustainable nor an ethical practice and Lloyd Austin will do everything he can to shift that statistic in the coming years.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/02/03/sailor-admits-hanging-noose-black-crewmates-rack-navy-cruiser.html
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/us-senate-confirms-biden-nominee-lloyd-austin-as-the-first-black-pentagon-chief
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/us-navy-condemns-discovery-of-hate-symbols-on-warships-including-noose-left-on-black-sailor-s-bed