Army to eliminate photos from promotion and selection boards

Starting in August, the U.S. Army will eliminate photos from promotion and selection boards.

It's part of a new program called "Project Inclusion," aimed at identifying practices that inadvertently discriminate.

It's an effort to listen to Soldiers, civilians, and family members and enact new initiatives to promote diversity and equity, according to Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.

“A lot has to be done to address the symbolic challenges that we face that could create divisiveness within our ranks,” McCarthy told reporters.

Senior Army leaders looked at a 2017-2018 study that determined, regardless of race or gender, people looking at photos will have an unconscious bias toward those with similar characteristics before deciding to eliminate photos from officer, enlisted, and warrant officer promotion boards.

Tied to Project Inclusion is an evaluation of the military justice system to determine if racial disparity or bias exists in the investigation or court-martial processes.