Mission

Assist the Commanding General in his role as the Command’s Equal Opportunity Officer. To monitor the execution of TRADOC’s EO program in all commands, agencies, and activities under TRADOC’s jurisdiction to ensure equal and fair treatment of all military personnel, family members, and DA civilians without regards to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

Vision

The Equal Opportunity (EO) assists commanders in promoting and sustaining a climate of equality, fair treatment, and advancement for all Soldiers and Family members regardless of race, religion, gender, color, and national origin. The EO office sustains an enduring and comprehensive effort to maximize human potential and foster an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior in support of the command’s mission readiness.

Resources

Home | Safe helpline

• Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute – Home (https://www.defenseculture.mil/)
• The Official Home Page of the United States Army
• U.S. Army Training Doctrine and Command Victory Starts Here
• Army Publishing Directorate

FAQ

What is the purpose of the Military Equal Opportunity Program?

• The MEO Program formulates, directs, and sustains a comprehensive effort to maximize human potential and to ensure fair treatment for all Soldiers based solely on merit, performance, and potential in support of readiness. MEO philosophy is based on fairness, justice, and equity. Commanders are responsible for sustaining a positive EO climate within their units.

What are the MEO Policies?

• Commanders and organizational leaders will foster and maintain positive command climates. A positive command climate is an environment free from personal, social, or institutional barriers that prevent Soldiers from rising to the highest level of responsibility for which they are qualified. Soldiers are evaluated on individual merit, performance, and potential. The evaluations of commanders will include an assessment of their compliance with MEO policy.

• The Army will provide an environment that is free of unlawful discrimination. Discrimination occurs when someone, or a group of people, is harassed, intimidated, insulted, humiliated, or is treated less favorably than another person or group, because of their race, color, sex (to include gender identity), national origin, religion, or sexual orientation. It includes use of disparaging terms with respect to a person’s race, color, sex (to include gender identity), national origin, religion, or sexual orientation which contributes to a hostile work environment.

• When discrimination is alleged, commanders will take immediate and appropriate action to investigate the allegations and correct any unlawful discriminatory practices. In substantiated cases, commanders will consider appropriate disciplinary action.

• The chain of command will promote, support, and enforce MEO and Harassment Prevention and Response policy and programs. The chain of command has primary responsibility for identifying and correcting discriminatory harassment.

• The operational language of the Army is English. Commanders may require Army personnel to use English when performing official duties but may not require the use of English for personal communications which are unrelated to official duties.

• Violations of MEO and Harassment Prevention and Response policies may result in disciplinary action under the UCMJ, Arts. 92, 133, or 134.

• Soldiers are required to follow policies both on and off-post, during duty and non-duty hours.

• Policies apply to work, living, and recreational environments (including both on and off-post housing).




Members of the Army will not—

• Retaliate against a member who files a discrimination or harassment complaint.
• Knowingly make a false accusation of discrimination.
• While in a supervisory or command position, condone or ignore discrimination, harassment, disparaging terms, or hostile work environment.



What are the bases of discrimination?

Color discrimination

Occurs when an individual is treated differently based on the lightness, darkness or toner color characteristics of the person. This type of discrimination can occur with race discrimination. Color discrimination can occur between persons of different races or ethnicities. It can also occur when members of the same race treat each other differently because of lightness or darkness of their skin.

Sex discrimination

Occurs when an individual is deprived of an opportunity because of their sex (including gender identity and pregnancy) or when decisions are made based on stereotypes and assumptions about abilities, traits, or the performance of individuals on the basis of sex.

Racial discrimination

Occurs when an individual is treated differently because of their racial group, racial characteristics (for example, hair texture, color, facial features), or because of their relationship or association with someone of a particular race.

Religious discrimination

Occurs when an individual is treated more or less favorably because of their religious beliefs or practices—except to the extent a religious accommodation is warranted. For example, imposing stricter promotion requirements for a person of a certain religious or imposing more or different work requirements on an individual because of their religious beliefs or practices, or forcing an individual to participate—or not participate—in a religious activity.

National origin discrimination

Occurs when an individual is treated less favorably because of their origin, ethnicity or accent, or because it is believed they are a particular nationality. f. Sexual orientation discrimination. One’s emotional or physical attraction to the same and/or opposite sex (homo-sexuality, bisexuality, or heterosexuality). Complaints may be based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, as well as association with an individual or affinity group associated with a particular sexual orientation.

What are the three types of complaints?

1. Informal complaint

An informal complaint is one that a Soldier, cadet, or Family member does not wish to file in writing on a DA Form 7279. Informal complaints may be resolved directly by the complainant addressing the offending party, a peer, or another person in or outside the complainant’s chain of command or NCO chain of command, or the MEO professional.

2. Formal complaint

A formal complaint is one that a complainant files in writing using a DA Form 7279 and swears to the accuracy of the information. Formal complaints require specific actions, are subject to timelines, and require documentation of the actions taken.

3. Anonymous complaint

Complaints where the complainant remains unidentified may be handled as either an informal or a formal com-plaint and entered in MEO database, as such. The commander will determine if sufficient information is provided to proceed as either an informal or formal complaint.

Contacts

• TRADOC MEO Hotline: (757) 897-6657
• JBLE AF Discrimination Hotline: (888) 231-4058
• TRADOC Command Diversity Office: (757) 501-6869
• Fort Eustis EEO Office: (757) 878-4797/0022
• Langley EEO Office: (757) 764-5877/5878