By focusing on the U.S. military's support of affirmative action in recent affirmative action cases, this conceptual article posits that there are lessons to be learned from the military by postsecondary scholars, practitioners, and policy makers who support race-conscious policies in higher education. This suggestion rests on two points--first, the military's explicit focus and reasoning for diversifying its leadership corps, and second, the military's explicit race-conscious approach to racial integration.