S. In addition, former Presidents Johnson and Kennedy used executive orders 11246 and 10925 to show government support of affirmative action through the "equal employment opportunity" and the establishment of the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity respectively. The biggest downfall in affirmative action history is the passing of Proposition 209 and the California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) that ended affirmative action in California. These affirmative action milestones factor greatly in the development of programs ensuring soldiers and civilians alike receive jobs based on merit and qualification (EOAP 1-3).
A military of whites in all senior positions and minorities entrenched at the bottom will not serve America or its citizens justly. The purpose of affirmative action is not to open the doors to unqualified candidates, but to ensure that qualified minorities and women are not arbitrarily passed over (Staples 1). As a result of the DOD affirmative action policy, there are now more women and minorities in senior positions within the military than ever before. This trend is setting the example for advancement within the ranks of higher paying civilian jobs as well. Nevertheless, women and minorities are still underrepresented with only 20% of the military's officers being minorities and nearly 40% of all enlisted belonging to an ethnic group. This is a vast improvement since the height of the Viet Nam war when only 2% of officers, and only 20% of the soldiers were minorities (Cose 1). Affirmative action ensures that qualified minorities and women are included in the pool of potential candidates for skilled officers and top NCO positions in the military. Affirmative action merely levels the playing field; giving minorities and women the opportunity to be considered for the jobs they are qualified for. This is not to say that a woman or minority will be given a position solely based on race or gender, but simply ensures they will not be discriminated against for that same reason (Staples 1,2).
