DEOMI History

Propelled by the civil rights movement of the 1960's and to counteract a national policy of segregation and inequality, a virtual Magna Carta for race relations training was issued in 1971. The violent and nonviolent disorders of the late 1960's were the catalyst that convinced military leaders that race relation's education must be provided to every member of the Armed Forces.

An inter-service task force examined the causes and possible cures of these disorders within the military. The task force, chaired by Air Force Major General Lucius Theus, resulted in Department of Defense Directive 1322.11. This directive established the Race Relations Education Board, and, in 1971, created the Defense Race Relations Institute (DRRI), the original name for DEOMI.

Since the first course, the Institute has expanded to meet the needs of field commanders and agency heads. As a result, the Institute now addresses an array of issues, to include sexual harassment, sexism, extremism, religious accommodations, and anti-Semitism. To reflect this new growth, the name was changed to the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute in July 1979.

Today, within our new campus facility, our education and training programs in human relations and equal opportunity remain as the foundation in the building of leadership. Several workshops and seminars have been added along with our core Equal Opportunity Advisor Course, to provide service members in command or leadership positions with some level of equal opportunity and human relations' awareness training. In addition, we advise DoD and other organizations on equal opportunity matters, conduct and extensive and progressive equal opportunity and human relations research program and serve as a clearinghouse to monitor and disseminate research findings to interested agencies.

Since its inception in 1971, the institute has enhanced combat readiness by fostering positive human relations throughout diverse armed services.

That mandate has been carried to the field by the nearly 20,000 DEOMI graduates from the Armed Forces (Active and Reserve) and the United States Coast Guard. These Forces maximize unit cohesion and maintain the highest degree of combat readiness while maintaining the DoD reputation as a place where all individuals have infinite dignity and worth.