It's a controversial issue in Congress, in the executive branch, in the states, in the courts, on the ballot, and among political candidates. Usually presented as an issue of race, it is more often a matter of gender because women have been its chief beneficiaries.
Affirmative action is a matter of jobs, promotions, government contracts, and education.
When it comes to the military, it's a matter of life or death. On the matter of race, the Navy is up front about its affirmative action policy. But when it comes to the matter of affirmative action for women in the Navy, we run into a stone wall of censorship. The crux of affirmative action for women in the Navy is the double standards that are used for recruiting, evaluating and promoting men and women. The women do not compete against the men, but compete only against other women for designated female slots, a practice that in the private sector is called quotas.