Multiple Pentagon military nominees that are currently blocked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) are advocates for “diversity” initiatives and other parts of the Biden administration’s agenda to reform the military, as reported by the Daily Caller.
Since February 2023, Tuberville was able to stonewall more than 300 military nominations in the Senate, protesting the institution’s policy that funds female service members to seek abortions. Most of these high-ranking nominees have supported the Biden administration’s radical agenda, such as supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Among such DEI-supporting nominees is Air Force Col. Benjamin R. Jonsson, who was nominated for the Brigadier General position in January 2023, and wrote an op-ed to “white colonels” in the military after the death of George Floyd in 2021, calling on them to address “racial disparity” within Air Force ranks, according to the Daily Caller.
“In a meeting with other white colonels, I drew attention to the reality that racial tension remains an important issue to address,” Jonsson wrote at the time. “As white colonels, you and I are the biggest barriers to change if we do not personally address racial injustice in our Air Force. Defensiveness is a predictable response by white people to any discussion of racial injustice.”
“If we do not take the time to learn, to show humility, to address our blind spots around race, and to agree that we are not as objective as we think and our system is not as fair as we think, then our Air Force will not rise above George Floyd’s murder,” Jonsson added.
“What we’ve said and what I firmly believe is that diversity, inclusion, valuing diversity and inclusion on our teams, it’s a mission imperative,” Jonsson said, according to Tampa Bay Times.
Jonsson is not the only DEI advocate that was blocked by Tuberville. Navy Rear Adm. George M. Wikoff was nominated by the Biden administration in January 2023 for the position of Vice Admiral. Wikoff’s nomination, like Jonsson’s, was stonewalled by Tuberville.
In 2021, the rear admiral authored a memorandum titled, “Policy on Diversity and Inclusion,” where he called on the Navy’s senior leaders to maintain “a diverse and inclusive workspace through recruitment, hiring, and personnel management.”
Tuberville recently wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the Senate needs to vet the Pentagon’s military nominees closer while responding to a post calling out Jonsson over his past racial remarks.
The Senate needs to do our job and take a close look at these nominees.
These jobs are too important not to. https://t.co/wFsmI9Opq2
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) August 17, 2023
“The Senate needs to do our job and take a close look at these nominees,” Tuberville wrote. “These jobs are too important not to.”
