Queen’s University Centre for International and Defence Policy
The topic of diversity in the armed forces is a puzzle that continues to fuel discussions among scholars and government officials globally. Yet, these discussions fail to acknowledge the representation of those who contribute to a diverse society but often cannot to the military: immigrants/non-citizens. Indeed, in order to at once meet recruiting needs and reflect the diversity of the population they serve, militaries around the world need to find innovative ways to increase and diversify their recruitment pools. This workshop will offer a spectrum of international perspectives to provide a novel response for how to meet those two imperatives simultaneously: remove barriers to immigrants/non-citizens’ participation in the armed forces.
The perspectives presented will come from researchers from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Collectively, these researchers will shed light on some of the barriers to immigrants/non-citizens’ full participation in the armed forces to draw comparisons across countries; identify common challenges and opportunities; share best practices; and provide evidence-based recommendations. Ultimately, the workshop’s grounding claim is that the participation and integration of immigrants/non-citizens in the armed forces is morally and strategically imperative, and contributes to the goals of equity, diversity, and inclusion in defence organizations.
The project team includes: Grazia Scoppio (Queen’s University and Royal Military College of Canada); Sara Greco (Queen’s University) and Alex Olteanu (Queen’s University).
