Secretary of the Army Togo D. West Jr. will deliver the keynote address at
this year's Department of Defense Worldwide Equal Opportunity Conference, to be
held
April 15 - 17 near Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. Some of the Department's most
senior military and civilian officials will participate in the conference,
demonstrating Secretary of Defense William J. Perry's continuing strong
emphasis on equal opportunity programs.
The conference, which will be attended by 1,500 equal opportunity specialists
representing all Services and Defense agencies, is dedicated to three broad
issues:
· The Department's continuing commitment to affirmative action following
the Supreme Court's decision in Adarand Constructors v. Pena.
· Understanding and combating the fringe element of extremism in American
society and the military.
· Military and civilian men and women working together in new roles.
"The Department of Defense is a national leader in equal opportunity and the
way to maintain that leadership is to understand and deal with the tough
issues," said Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Edwin
Dorn. "This conference fits that prescription and follows the direction of
Secretary Perry to make sure that equal opportunity continues to be one of the
Department's highest priorities," he added.
"This conference brings together three elements of our successful equal
opportunity program: strong leadership and commitment from the top down,
effective training, and measurement of results," said Dorn.
The conference will also recognize the 25th anniversary of the Defense Equal
Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI.)
The service and agency points of contact are:
· Army: HQDA (DAPE-HR-L), DSN 225-5022 or (703) 695-5022
· Navy: PERS 61, DSN 224-2007 or (703) 614-2007
· Air Force: HQ USAF/DPCH, DSN 224-8466 or (703) 614-8466
· Marine Corps: CMC (MPE), DSN 223-2565 or (703) 693-2565
· Combatant Commands: J-1, DSN 224-6335 or (703) 614-6335
· National Guard: NGB-EO, DSN 761-8950 OR (703) 681-8950
· Coast Guard: Office of Civil Rights (202) 267-1295
· Defense Agency civilians: WHS, DSN 227-5791 or (703) 697-5971
For more information, call Maj. Gary Perugini, DEOMI public affairs, Patrick
AFB, Fla. at (407) 494-6208.
(Editor's Note: DSN is an abbreviation for Defense Switched Network and are
phone numbers available to military personnel only.)
