As an aviation officer, I'd like to note that the aviation branch doesn't seem to promote the diversity of assignments like the other branches (FA, Infantry) would seem to. For the longest time, diversity in the aviation branch meant that maybe an officer spent some time in the aviation maintenance unit.

In more recent times, we've given our officers and warrant officers the opportunity to serve in the Brigade Aviation Element--a planning cell in every infantry brigade combat team that includes an aviation major, aviation captain, tactical operations warrant officer (usually CW3), two NCOs and an enlisted soldier. However, the aviation world has this funny habit of "kicking people upstairs" away from the aircraft, so to speak. So what you sometimes find is that the BAE represents a convenient place to stick someone who got a DUI, fooled around with an enlisted soldier, etc.

With that said, it's not uncommon to see senior officers in the aviation field who never spent any time outside of an aviation brigade or battalion. While proficiency in the aircraft is a must for command in the aviation community, it also hurts the aviation branch in that we don't grow the leaders we should be growing. The aviation branch (though fairly new) has only produced one 4-star general and certainly no combatant commanders.

Another complaint about diversity is that, in the aviation branch, there's a fear that a diverse assignment might attach a stigma to an officer and cause them to wind up on MiTT teams, BAEs and whatnot for the rest of their career. We need to stop this trend and allow officers to experience a slightly more broad skill set in order to prepare them for the world we live in. We certainly must not do this at the expense of core competencies (aviators must be proficient in the aircraft to continue to serve in the aviation community). We also must not try to turn the "pentathlete" concept into one of allowing any officer to serve in any position--which almost seems as if that's what HRC is trying to do to junior officers, with captains now being in such short supply. (Who knows, maybe that was the initial reason for the "pentathlete" concept, and not the need to excel in 4GW)