Racism? Probably not

Per Liljas has a Time article, based on a report in USA Today by Tom Vanden Brook,, about force reductions in the Army:

The Army’s retrenchment of 550 majors is hitting black officers considerably harder than those from other ethnic groups. Almost a tenth of the Army’s black majors are being let go, while the same proportion for white majors is only 5.6% and 8% for Hispanics, reports USA Today.
The Army intends to cut its force from 513,000 to 490,000 soldiers by the end of 2015, and has already culled about a thousand captains from its ranks. Bad performance evaluations have weighed heavily in retrenchment decisions
Combat veterans have been hit especially hard, with nearly nine out of ten of the dismissed having at least two years combat experience.

From USA Today:

The forced culling of majors from Army ranks is taking a bigger toll on black officers than those from any other ethnic group, according to Army personnel documents.
Almost ten percent of black majors are being dismissed from the Army, records show, compared with six percent of the white majors. Eight percent of Hispanic majors will be dismissed, while six percent of the Asian-Pacific Islanders are to be relieved.
In all, the Army is cutting 550 majors from its force. The move follows pink slips sent to about a thousand captains, as the Army seeks to shrink its force to 490,000 soldiers by the end of 2015. If automatic budget cuts return after 2015, the Army could be reduced to 420,000 soldiers by 2019. There about 513,000 soldiers on active duty.
"We don't want to do this," General John Campbell, the Army's second-highest-ranking officer, said. Inevitably, Campbell said, some soldiers will receive their notices while serving in Afghanistan. The Army is working to mitigate the effect of their loss on their units and on the soldiers let go, he said. Officers serving in Afghanistan and deployed abroad elsewhere will be brought home within a month, regardless of the length of their deployment, so they can begin the transition to civilian life. Soldiers losing their active-duty jobs are encouraged to join the Army Reserve or National Guard, Campbell said.
The Army combed the records of nearly eight thousand majors to find the 550 to force into early retirement. The board weighed bad performance evaluations or reports heavily in its decisions. The Army has about seventeen thousand majors.
Electronic warfare, civil affairs, and psychological operations had the highest rates of dismissals among military specialties for black majors, according to the Army. Logistics has the highest number of African-Americans being let go.
Across the Army, regardless of race, the cuts hit combat veterans hard. Nearly nine out of ten have at least two years combat experience.
Among others getting pink slips: seventeen majors wounded in combat, including fourteen white soldiers and three African-Americans.