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Air Education and Training Command leaders are diligently working to remove barriers, promote mutual respect, and encourage tough conversations in safe spaces.

The First Command is leading efforts to strengthen diversity through deliberate actions to raise awareness about opportunities; developing partnerships with underrepresented groups; removing barriers to serve and providing mentorship to our current force.

 Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-7001, Diversity & Inclusion, broadly defines diversity as “a composite of individual characteristics, experiences, and abilities consistent with the Air Force Core Values and the Air Force Mission. Air Force diversity includes, but is not limited to: personal life experiences, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural knowledge, educational background, work experience, language abilities, physical abilities, philosophical and spiritual perspectives, age, race, ethnicity, and gender.” The Air Force increases its warfighting capabilities and lethality by attracting talent from a diverse body of applicants and leveraging their unique characteristics, experiences, and abilities.

 

Learn more about the U.S. Air Force Rated Diversity Improvement Strategy here. 

Learn more about the Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Groups (DAFBAWG) here. 

 

The Air Force Starts Here: LGBTQI+ Airmen in the First Command

  • Published
  • Air Education and Training Command Public Affairs

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas – On June 17, 2021, Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of Air Education and Training Command, sat down with Brig. Gen. Brenda Cartier, incoming AETC director of operations and communications, to discuss our LGBTQI+ community within the Air Force.

“The commitment to service by LGBTQI+ Airmen adds to the inclusivity and rich diversity of the Air Force family,” said Webb. “Diversity, when harnessed, provides an asymmetric advantage that is ultimately a warfighting imperative.”

Listen to episode 52 of The Air Force Starts Here podcast or watch the live video on our Facebook page to hear Cartier describe some of her experiences serving in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era, how she sees today’s total force celebrating diversity and what work still remains.

On Dec. 22, 2010, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act became law. Certification occurred in July 2011, and full implementation of the act occurred in September 2011. This allowed lesbian, gay and bi-sexual military members to serve openly in the U.S. Armed Forces.

On April 28, 2014, the Pentagon released an update to the Department of Defense Human Goals Charter, which, for the first time, included language related to sexual orientation in the section dealing with the military. The charter reads, “Our nation was founded on the principle that each individual has infinite dignity and worth. The Department of Defense, which exists to keep the nation secure and at peace, must always be guided by this principle. In all that we do, we must show respect for service members, civilian employees and family members, recognizing their individual needs, aspirations and capabilities.”

The original Facebook Live was part of AETC’s Real Talk series highlighting The First Command’s priority to cultivate an environment of excellence for all Airmen.

Listen to The Air Force Starts Here podcast wherever you stream podcasts or here on our website. 

Video by Andriy Agashchuk, Marcelo Joniaux, Tech. Sgt. Tenelle Marshall
Real Talk: Race and Diversity in the Air Force - June 17, 2021
502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
June 17, 2021 | 48:52
Lt. Gen. Brad Webb, commander of Air Education and Training Command, hosts the seventh episode of Real Talk: Race and Diversity in the Air Force, June 17th, 2021. Joining Lt. Gen. Webb for this episode will be: Brig. Gen. Brenda Cartier, Incoming AETC Director of Operations.
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U.S. Air Force Col. Michael Curry, 58th Special Operations Wing commander, speaks about diversity and inclusion at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., Jan. 5, 2022. More