Survey of minority officers in the Navy: attitudes and opinions on recruiting and retention

This thesis addresses the reasons why minority officers joined the Navy and their attitudes toward continued service. Focused interviews were conducted with over 100 minority officers in the Navy at various locations around the country. All interviews were taped and then transcribed. Thirteen general themes emerged from the responses of the officers. These themes covered many topics, including the people who most influenced an officer's decision to join the Navy, perceptions of inequitable treatment, and continuing concerns about racism. A number of conclusions were drawn from the research, which revealed a strong opinion among minority officers that the Navy's Equal Opportunity environment and minority recruitment policies can be improved. Recommendations addressed several areas of possible improvement and proposed further research regarding minority attitudes toward the Navy and Marine Corps. This study was sponsored by the Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel (PERS-61) and the Defense Health Resources Study Center at the Naval Postgraduate School.http://archive.org/details/surveyofminority1094535149NANAU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) authors