After a devastating report in late June on the lack of diversity in the ranks of the CIA, Director John Brennan is determined to make changes. The report noted the number of minorities at the highest levels is decreasing after two decades of the opposite trend.
The Diversity in Leadership study, produced by a group headed by civil rights activist Vernon Jordan, noted that the upper levels of the Central Intelligence Agency contain fewer minorities than the general public. The higher the level, the fewer blacks, Hispanics or Asians. In particular, the Senior Intelligence Service has seen the loss of African-American officers both in raw numbers and as an overall percentage since 2004.
The Senior Intelligence Service is developed from the ranks of the GS-14s and GS-15s. While minorities make up 23.9 percent of the agency’s employees, that drops to 21 percent of GS-14s and 15.2 percent of GS-15s. In the SIS, that percentage falls to 10.8 percent. The occupations that most commonly serve as paths to executive ranks (Analysis, Technical Intelligence, and Operations) have minority representation lower than 10% at the GS-15 level or above.
As of Jan. 1, only two of the regular attendees of the director’s Senior Staff Meeting were minorities. These are the positions that the Director of the CIA has the greatest ability to fill.
What’s Behind the Diversity Problem?
Why is the CIA so lacking in diversity? The report says “the record clearly suggests that the senior leadership of the Agency is not committed to diversity.” That is a damning statement given the repeated reports to Congress and the public by CIA spokesmen and directors on the agency’s commitment to diversity.
The report identified six reasons for the lack of diversity:
- Leadership – “Agency leaders, managers, and supervisors do not prioritize diversity in leadership.”
- Accountability – “The Agency does not hold its leadership accountable for creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace.”
- Lack of Inclusive Culture – “In practice, the Agency does not recognize the value of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, nor consistently promote an inclusive, “speak-up” culture where all opinions are heard, valued, and taken into account.”
- Integrated Talent Management – “The CIA lacks a consistent talent management framework to credibly develop all Agency officers or to effectively identify or prepare future leaders.”
- Recruitment – Recruitment efforts to increase the diversity of the workforce have not been a priority.
- Networks and networking – “… not all Agency officers have the access to, or comfort with, existing formal and informal networks.”
In an April, 2015, article, the New York Times spoke with several minority intelligence officers about their service at the CIA. The officers spoke about outright prejudice, and the poor image of the agency in the Black-American community. Several noted the issue of networking and a desire among some black officers to “make it on their own.” The lack of mentors and sponsors was also seen as holding back promotions and plum assignments.
Recruitment by the CIA has limits and constraints that many other employers do not have. Some recruits may not be able to obtain a security clearance, due to citizenship, criminal history or prior drug use. Others may not have the requisite educational background. Pay is also a bar for many recruits, as the agency pays less than the private sector in most cases. A minority candidate with an advanced degree in an appropriate subject, such as an MBA, is highly in demand and private employers are willing to offer sums far above those the CIA offers. CIA recruitment, as Director Brennan has said, is as much a factor of patriotism and it is dollars. Perhaps looking into what attracts those candidates who do make the decision to serve can help create a strategy to cultivate a new generation of diverse intelligence officers.
