ASU Army ROTC Latino Cadets’ Motivations and Challenges

The United States military, even including ROTC programs, is becoming increasingly diverse which reflects the variety of cultures present in the country. Latinos are a notable and growing part of this diversity, contributing to the country’s armed forces while dealing with a unique set of opportunities and obstacles. The current demographic of our nation’s leaders in the military consists of mainly white individuals (Department of Defense, 2022). To understand why this is the case, survey and interview data were gathered from both male and female Latino cadets participating in ASU Army ROTC currently. Latino cadets in ASU Army ROTC were asked what experiences or opportunities either hindered or reaffirmed their decision to become officers in the Army. Moreover, the research delves into the rich cultural and familial factors that can play an important role in shaping motivations. The research has found that Latino cadets are experiencing hardship in the form of lack of mentorship in the early years, lack of intentional integration for Latino cadets joining the program, and limited diversity found in upper levels of leadership in the Army. By addressing and recognizing the unique issues regardless of background, military institutions can garner diversity and assure that all incoming cadets, have equal opportunities to excel as leaders in the armed forces in the United States.