Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is blocking the promotion of an Air Force colonel who supported race- and gender-based promotions in the service, according to a new report.
On Thursday, Breitbart News’ Bradley Jaye revealed that Indiana’s junior senator has placed a hold on Air Force Col. George H. Sebren, who “authored a 2017 research paper lamenting the creation of ‘a general officer cohort that severely lacks diversity.’” The Defense Department announced Sebren’s nomination to the rank of brigadier general last month.
“Senator Banks has serious concerns about military officers who have championed DEI and wokeness in the military and has exercised his authority as a senator to place a hold on this promotion,” a Banks representative told Breitbart News.
As described by Jaye, “In the modern Senate, where the calendar is one of the greatest impediments, most military promotions are confirmed through unanimous consent to bypass the timely process required under regular order.” “A single objection,” he wrote, “prohibits the unanimous consent process from going forward.”
In his 2017 research paper, Sebren claimed “The Air Force is not drawing upon its full talent pool for leadership in its most senior positions,” adding that this “has another negative affect of creating a general officer cohort that severely lacks diversity.”
“It is time to look at different ways to select future general officers for the Air Force,” Sebren wrote. “There are many fully qualified and able officers in the mission support category that would be amazing representatives of the Air Force at all levels. We do not have to artificially limit them to capping out at O-6 if we want to encourage diversity in our most senior leadership levels as we seek to create a stronger Air Force that will continue to fulfill an increasingly complex mission.”
Banks’ reported hold on Sebren’s promotion is not the first time the Indiana Republican has raised concerns about DEI-style ideology in the military. In 2023, the then-House representative blasted the Biden administration for opposing provisions in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act that sought to prevent the implementation of such policies throughout the service.
“The men and women serving our country deserve much better than a commander-in-chief who reduces them to their sex and the color of their skin,” Banks told The Federalist at the time. “It’s offensive, unconstitutional, and dangerous.”
Thursday’s news came the same day The Daily Wire reported the Pentagon yanked the promotion of a Navy admiral who previously allowed drag queen performances on the ship he commanded. The revelation came a week after The Federalist pressed the Defense Department and the White House on the matter.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
