ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) held the first day of its 2023 national convention on Wednesday, August 2, in Albuquerque. Gilbert Cisneros, the Department of Defense’s Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness, attended the event’s opening day.
Cisneros said that a key mission right now for the Pentagon is creating a diverse military. He explained how the military recruits from a wide range of ethnicities and backgrounds, but that changes once you move up the chain of command. Cisneros says Latinos make up only 2% of the military’s generals and admirals.
“You can’t just automatically make a general and snap your finger and say, ‘ok, you’re going to go.’ It’s not like being in a corporation where you can go out and hire some talented, diverse people. We have to grow them within our ranks, and that starts with recruiting and bringing them in.”
Discussions like these will continue throughout the convention, which runs through Saturday, August 5. For more information on the event, click here.
