On June 9, 2020, the U.S. Air Force placed deliberate emphasis on a culture of inclusion by standing up a Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. The D&I Task Force was charged with identifying and changing policies, procedures, barriers and other practices that might be unfairly impacting underrepresented Air and Space personnel.
On June 18, 2020, the Secretary of Defense announced the DoD would take a very direct and deliberate posture to address D&I issues. The goal was to thoroughly assess D&I within the Armed Services and to develop actionable items for immediate, mid- and long-term implementation.
In August 2020, the U.S. Air Force Surgeon General and the Chief, Medical Enlisted Force and Enlisted Corps Chief, stood up the AFMS Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Since then, the AFMS/ODI has actively worked to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion within the AFMS by utilizing four distinct Lines of Effort.
The LOEs are as follows:
- LOE 1 - Cultivate Culture and Policy
- LOE 2 - Educate and Inform Medics
- LOE 3 - Understand and Breakdown Barriers
- LOE 4 - Align with SAF Office of Diversity and Inclusion