Retired Generals Urge GOP Senators To Grill Biden’s Top Military Nominee Over Race-Based Policies

Retired Generals Urge GOP Senators To Grill Biden’s Top Military Nominee Over Race-Based Policies

Micaela Burrow on July 10, 2023

A group of more than 30 retired military officers and civilian activists called on Republicans to interrogate the Air Force general President Joe Biden tapped to become his next military adviser over his racist policies and endorsement of transgender treatments in an open letter Monday.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown will likely face a fiery confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning, his first appearance before Congress since Biden nominated him to fill the post of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on May 25. But critics of Brown are concerned about deterioration in the Air Force and argue Congress should press him to justify his support for racial discrimination, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and “reality-denying transgender policies,” the letter states.

“Unnecessary social burdens” associated with policies Brown has championed damage readiness and morale, the letter says.

While serving as the Air Force’s chief of staff and before that as Pacific Air Forces commander, Brown made statements suggesting he selects individuals for certain roles and promotions based on their race to build purposefully diverse organizations, multiple sources show.

Brown launched investigations into the Air Force’s suspected differential treatment of women and ethnic minorities, advocated for race-conscious hiring and promotion practices and oversaw implementation of programs aimed at recruiting and training a larger proportion of officers from underrepresented groups.

When questioned about his support for DEI policies in the past, Brown doubled down on his position by arguing they help recruiting and create a more positive atmosphere for servicemembers, according to Defense One.

But, critics say that Brown’s diversity focus could violate civil rights laws and Department of Defense policies prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race.

Signers of the letter, which include former one, two- and three-star generals and leaders of national-security focused conservative groups, want him to prove that his policies are not hurting morale and detracting from the Air Force’s warfighting ability.

On the floor today calling for an end to the irresponsible & unprecedented hold on military nominations from handful of Republican Senators. We must confirm these nominations so our military leaders & their families can continue their dedicated service in defense of our nation. pic.twitter.com/wBs7kqzKje

— Senator Jack Reed (@SenJackReed) July 10, 2023

Brown’s views “toward deeply problematic policies briefly mentioned in the letter should be fully explored on the record and in public session before any vote is taken on his nomination to lead our armed forces as the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” the group wrote in an email to committee Chairman Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Ranking Member Roger Wicker of Mississippi delivering the letter.

Topics recommended for questioning include “racial discrimination known to exist in military service academy admissions;” mandates to increase minority presence while deliberately capping the number of white males in highly-rated officer positions, CRT-based education programs. They also target high-salaried DEI administrator positions.

In addition, signers asked for “full disclosure of problems associated with transgender policies, on the same basis as sexual assault data, on an annual basis.”

If Brown fails to commit in the confirmation hearing to eliminate the policies, the committee should block his nomination, the signers argued.