The United States Department of Defense is prepared to spend more than $114 million on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs at the Pentagon in fiscal year 2024, according to the latest budget proposal forms.
The funding request — the largest of its kind for the DoD, is significantly higher than those made in previous years, furthering the department’s pledge to “institutionalize the advancement of DEIA” in the department’s mission.
Since first implementing DEIA programs in 2020, the Department of Defense has scaled up its funding for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion significantly. The $68 million spent in fiscal year 2022 was increased to $86.5 million in fiscal year 2023. That number has increased even further in the latest budget request from the Pentagon.
“The FY 2024 President’s Budget request demonstrates the DoD’s commitment to DEIA and includes $114.7 million for dedicated diversity and inclusion activities,” reads the department’s Strategic Management Plan for fiscal years 2022-2026. “This funding across the Military Departments, OSD Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute is investing in programs and initiatives aimed at furthering DEIA, and incorporating DEIA values, objectives, and considerations in how we do business and execute our missions.”
If the 2024 funding request is granted, the department will have spent just shy of $270 million on diversity initiatives across fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024 — an average of $89.7 million per year.
The updated Strategic Management Plan maintains a consistent goal of “inculcating DEIA principles across all DOD efforts,” in line with the Biden administration’s push for greater diversity and minority representation in all federal departments.
“Ultimately, recruiting and retaining a force with diverse backgrounds, thought, experience, expertise, and education enhances DoD’s global joint warfighter capabilities fundamental to all DoD activities,” the document continues.
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While specifics for the 2024 DEIA programs are unknown, the allocation of funds in previous years is a good indicator of what the department intends.
The $68 million sent to the Pentagon in 2022 was earmarked for “training programs and diversity and inclusion initiatives” for the Air Force, including “unconscious bias diversity training” and scholarships for cadets from underrepresented demographics.
In 2023, the allocated $86.5 million went to “dedicated diversity and inclusion activities” throughout the DoD in order to “incorporate DEIA values, objectives, and considerations in how we do business and execute our missions.”
The Pentagon has recently been under fire after failing an independent audit of its $3.8 trillion in military assets for the sixth year in a row, leading many lawmakers to question whether these funds have been allocated appropriately.
Additional details on the intended purpose of the $114.7 million requested for 2024 will be revealed in a forthcoming “DEIA 2023 — 2027 Strategic Plan.”
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