Open Letter to Senate re Nomination of Gen. Brown to be Chairman/JCS

An Open Letter to the Senate Armed Services Committee coordinated by Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness and signed by many military veterans concerned about the Marxist CRT/DEI agenda/ideology infecting the military.

To: The Honorable Jack Reed
Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee
– c/o Elizabeth L. King, Majority Staff Director

The Honorable Roger Wicker
Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee
– c/o John Keast, Minority Staff Director

Room 228
Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senators Reed and Wicker:

I am pleased to convey to you an Open Letter from many national organizations, veterans, and national security professionals, which expresses their concerns about policies that are seriously affecting readiness and morale in the U.S. military. The letter and signatories are linked here:

Open Letter to Members of the United States Senate Re: the Nomination of Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (pdf)

Signers of the Open Letter and organizations they represent believe it is imperative that the views and attitudes of Air Force General Charles “C.Q.” Brown, Jr. 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.

Toward that end, I ask that you bring the Open Letter conveyed by this email to the attention of your Committee colleagues as soon as possible.

The signatories also respectfully request that if General Brown endorses some or all of the policies identified in the Open Letter, a second hearing be held that would afford the concerned Americans who signed the Open Letter an opportunity to be heard on this nomination prior to Committee action on it.

Sincerely,

Elaine Donnelly
President, Center for Military Readiness

Open Letter to Members of the United States Senate

Re: the Nomination of Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. to be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

July 10, 2023

America’s All-Volunteer Force is in crisis.

For several years, all branches of the armed forces have struggled to make recruiting goals, and the Heritage Foundation rated readiness in the various services at the lowest levels seen in decades.

Controversies about divisive critical race theory (CRT) programs, which pit racial groups against each other, plus demographic diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) quotas that prolong racial discrimination and weaken meritocracy in the military, are demoralizing the troops.

At the same time, the armed forces are wasting time and resources on expensive climate change projects and alienating traditional families by indulging extreme demands from LGBT activists trying to extend their leftist agendas to children.

Pentagon officials keep denying the nature and consequences of woke policies in the military, but such issues are not difficult to recognize or define.

For example, policies that promote inefficient, expensive electric vehicles (EVs) that cannot meet operational demands in garrison or combat, or directives that allow biological males to share women’s private showers and athletic teams, fit the definition of wokeism: progressivism taken to extremes, with coercion, even if it hurts the institution.

In this time of great peril, aggressive nations are challenging American military superiority. All officials must restore sound priorities that put national security first.

President Joe Biden has nominated Air Force Chief of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Brown’s confirmation hearing on Tuesday, July 11, presents a critically important opportunity for members of the Senate to assess readiness problems in the armed forces honestly, and to press for ways to change direction.

The undersigned organizations and individuals call on members of the Senate to ask serious questions of General Brown on military personnel issues and all matters that affect readiness and morale, including the following:

—Racial discrimination known to exist in military service academy

—Mandates to increase percentages of minority persons, while consciously reducing non-minority (white males) in aviation and other demanding occupations.

—Education programs reserved for favored demographic groups, including sexual minorities, that deliberately exclude non-minority persons.

—Mandates to replace sex-specific terms with confusing pronouns and sex-neutral terms that are especially disrespectful to women.

—Critical race theory (CRT) education programs that promote racial stereotypes and anti-American attitudes.

—Justification for high-salaried diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) “experts.”

—Reality-denying transgender policies that violate servicewomen’s already-limited privacy and rights to compete on athletic teams reserved for women.

—Parent-excluding exposure of military-dependent children to CRT and transgender indoctrination pushing life-changing, irreversible treatments.

—Full disclosure of problems associated with transgender policies, on the same basis as sexual assault data, on an annual basis.

—Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s directive to end drag queen events, which stereotype and disrespect women, on military ships and installations.

Civilian control of the military means that all Americans have the responsibility to watch out for our men and women in uniform who must live and sometimes die under policies that they have no role in making.

We hope that members of the Senate will do what they can to ensure that the best military leaders available will have all the support they need to defend America in an increasingly dangerous world.

We also hope that Gen. Brown will commit to reducing or eliminating problematic personnel issues that affect readiness and morale, including those referenced above.

If not, Senators should vote against this nomination.

America’s armed forces deserve to be led by strong leaders who are prepared to confront grave risks to national security, without imposing unnecessary social burdens on the brave men and women who volunteer to serve.

Respectfully,

Elaine Donnelly President, Center for Military Readiness

Lt. Gen. Rod Bishop, USAF (Ret.), Chairman, STARRS (Stand Against Racism & Radicalism in the Services)

Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin, USA (Ret.)

Lt. Gen. Thomas Spoehr, USA (Ret.)

Lt. Gen. Thomas G. McInerney, USAF (Ret.)

Col. Ron Scott, PhD, USAF (Ret.) President, STARRS

Maj. Gen. Joe Arbuckle, USA (Ret.) Vice Chairman, STARRS

Maj. Gen. Paul E. Vallely, USA (Ret.) Chairman, Stand Up America US Foundation

Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt, USAF (Ret.) Co-founder and National Spokesman Restore Liberty

Brig. Gen. Michael Neil, USMCR (Ret.)

Capt. Tom Burbage, USN (Ret.), President, Calvert Task Group – Defending U. S. Naval Academy