“This Is a Man’s Job”: Challenging the Masculine “Warrior Culture” at the U.S. Air Force Academy

• Author: Jarrod Pendlebury
• Published date: 01 January 2020
• Date: 01 January 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X18806524
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

“This Is a Man’s Job”:

Challenging

the Masculine “Warrior

Culture” at the U.S.

Air Force Academy

Jarrod Pendlebury

1

Abstract

This article explores models of identity at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Drawing on

qualitative data gathered through a number of focus groups with cadets, it finds that

despite technological changes that have revolutioniz ed the battle space and policy

efforts to shift the cultural identity of the forces, ideal identitie s remain infused with

concepts that value the classical model of the hero ic masculine. It suggests that

functionally, this highly prized “warrior” etho s is becoming less relevant but could

have the effect of undermining efforts to “diversify ”th e Academy. In the absence of

a fundamental reconsideration of what cons titutes the “ideal” air force officer,

efforts to alter the demography and exclusionary culture at the Aca demy will be

stymied.

Keywords

sociology of the military, identity, masculinities, feminism, performativity

1

Air Power Development Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Corresponding Author:

Jarrod Pendlebury, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, The University of Sydney, Darlington, New

South Wales 2006, Australia.

Email: jpen1596@uni.sydney.edu.au

Armed Forces & Society

2020, Vol. 46(1) 163-184

ªThe Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/0095327X18806524

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In a widely reprinted World War II recruitment poster for the Royal Australian Air

Force (RAAF), a young male in flying gear stares into the distance beneath a

formation of airplanes and the words “This is a Man’s Jo b! Join the R.A.A.F.”

(Australian War Memorial, 2016). Echoing this sentiment, from 1964 to 2003, the

words “Bring Me Men” were emblazoned above a ramp at the U.S. Air Force

Academy (USAFA) that led cadets into the Academy on their first day in the

military. Despite significant efforts in recent years to diversify the composition of

their personnel, the demography of Western Air Forces remains overwhelmingly

male (Government of Canada, 2016; RAAF , 2018; USAFA, 2005; U.S. Census

Bureau [U.S. CB], 2015). This analysis will focus on the United States as an exem-

plar of a Western liberal nation in which gender excision remains a significant issue

in both broader society and the military. More specifically, USAFA, one of a number

of U.S. Air Force (USAF) officer training pipelines, is also more Christian, White,

and male than U.S. society in general (USAFA, 2005; U.S. CB, 2015). In some ways

this is unsurprising, particularly in an organization that has historically appealed to

“the masculine advantages of mastery, dominance, and control” in recruitment

campaigns (Brown, 2012, p. 131). Moreover, the location of the Academy in the

“Evangelical Vatican” (Sharlet, 2005) of Colorado Springs reinforces a sense of

Christian primacy both on and off campus. However, given the USAF’s commitment

“to diversity and inclusion and the maximizing of their benefits on behalf of our

Service and Nation” (James, Welsh, & Cody, 2015a), the demographic data suggest

that there is much to be done. The slow progress toward a diverse organization is

readily evident in published recruitment data. According to these data, if female

representation were to continue at current rates at USAFA, it would take a further

100 years for women to represent half of an entry class (USAFA, 2005). The

Secretary’s 2015 outlining of nine “Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives” demonstrates

resolve and initiative in seeking solutions to the problem of homogeneity in the Air

Force (James, Welsh, & Cody, 2015b). However, while each of the initiatives is

aimed at modifying the culture of the organization in order to enhance inclusivity,

none recognizes that the way in which identities are shaped and valued during basic

training constitutes a crucial ingredient in the development of behavioral norms

within a military force.

Supporters of a diverse military generally agree that establishing an organization

that is representative of society while eliminating discrimination is a worthy goal

(Australian Human Rights Commission [AHRC], 2012, p. 109; USAF, 2014, p. 5).

Moreover, the cultivation of a military force that reflects the demographic composi-

tion of the national society broadly resonates with Western liberal values. There is

however, less consensus on how to achieve such a diverse force. Many initiatives

look to boosting the numbers of mino rity members in the organizatio n through

measures such as affirmative action or targeted recruitment policies (AHRC,

2012, p. 22). This article argues that without careful management of the processes

through which military identities are constituted, efforts to achieve a representative

and inclusive organization will remain cosmetic and, more importantly, continue to

164 Armed Forces & Society 46(1)