Statement to DACODAI by Colonel Brandi King, USAFR
EXECUTING DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION
IN THE USAF RATED POPULATION
1. In the Spring of 2021, General Charles Q. Brown, while serving as the Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (USAF), signed the Rated Diversity Improvement (RDI) Strategy. In June of the same year, I was asked to be the Lead Officer executing the strategy across the Department of the Air Force.
2. At first glance, almost everyone would agree with the goals of RDI (see Attachment 1, page 6), which stem from Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-7001. According to this AFI,
“The Air Force broadly defines diversity as a composite of individual characteristics, experiences, and abilities consistent with the Air Force Core Values and the Air Force Mission.
Air Force diversity includes but is not limited to: personal life experiences, geographic background, socioeconomic background, cultural knowledge, educational background, work background, language abilities, physical abilities, philosophical/spiritual perspectives, age, race, ethnicity, and gender.”
Whereas inclusion is, “The process of creating a culture where all members of an organization are free to make their fullest contributions to the success of the group, and where there are no unnecessary barriers to success.”
General Brown’s honorable charge is for Airmen to, “place value in multi-capable and adaptable team builders, and courageous problem solvers that demonstrate value in diversity of thought, ingenuity, and initiative.”
I believe almost every American, regardless of political affiliation, can support initiatives that strive to include individuals regardless of their immutable traits, sincerely held religious beliefs, and cultural backgrounds. I wholehearted agree with removing unnecessary barriers to allow any and all law-abiding Americans to support and defend their Constitutional Republic should they desire to do so.
3. While the broad goals and objectives of the RDI strategy seem admirable, a deeper dive into the supporting metrics seem to reveal a less noble agenda. The overarching and recurring theme of the RDI strategy is to inform, influence, inspire, recruit, access, and increase underrepresented groups (URG) in the USAF rated fields (pilot, combat systems officer, air battle manager).
What is meant by URG and how does the USAF define URG as it pertains to its data-driven approach to executing the RDI strategy? Quite simply, URG is any group other than white male (Attachment 2). Although the RDI strategy does not explicitly state that its goal is to reduce the white male population in rated fields, one would have to be blind to miss the glaring implications.
a. Objective 1.1 increases URG youth engagement by 300%; Objective 1.2 increases engagements at Minority Serving Institutions by 30%; Objective 2.1 increases female and minority applicants to rated board; Objective 2.2 raises minority and female service tenure to within 2% (numerical goal) of white males by 2030.
b. The RDI dashboard, maintained by Air Education Training Command Headquarters (AETC), contains data from all its initiatives, to aid all stakeholders in increasing the number of URG members in the USAF rated fields. Access can be gained by contacting AETC.
4. It is incredibly important to look at the overall available rated billets in the Department of the Air Force, because unless there are limitless billets, a calculated increase in URG members is also a calculated decrease in non-URG members (white males). To this end, the USAF has allocated $18 million dollars a year to execute the RDI strategy and this number does not include any salaries for the thousands of employees across the many stakeholder groups working to “move the needle” from white male to URG rated officers.
5. Regular meetings are held at all echelons and throughout the enterprise with regard RDI progress. The $18 million dollar budget is reallocated annually based on “performance”.
In fact, due to the lack of progress in selecting URGs, $1.2 million in funding associated with the applicant selection process was removed from the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JR AFROTC) Flight Academy in 2021 and given to a third party with the direction to select more attendees based on immutable traits. See Attachment 3. RDI paper Attachment 3
6. During my time as RDI Lead Officer, it became extremely apparent to me that every program funded by RDI was compromised by the threat of funding reduction for lack of performance. The result was handpicked URG participants.
Additionally, some application and selection processes remained in the office of RDI itself. When applicants were “racked and stacked” and a tie resulted between a white male and a URG, the URG applicant was intentionally selected every single time.
In fact, in 2021, pilot training students were handpicked due to their URG (42 USC 2000e protected class) status. The result was the 21-15 “America’s Class” experiment in 2021 at Laughlin Air Force Base.
This URG-promotion effort resulted in unimaginable disruption to good order and discipline (violation of Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 134) amongst the students and the instructors alike. A group of Active Duty Instructor Pilots pushed back on the unlawful orders to execute this divisive agenda (see Attachment 4). RDI paper Attachment 4
7. The true goals of the RDI strategy never had to be written down, nor would they ever be written down due to the unlawful and immoral nature. Yet everyone knows what has to be done: increase non-white males and decrease the white male population.
No “proof” is necessary for the average American. The agenda is known and the American population, that has traditionally signed up to support and defend the Constitution, has recognized that they are no longer desirable by our current government and military leaders.
The lack of ability to recruit and retain is completely evident, and it is a direct result of the radical, racist actions taken by witting leaders and the complicit masses.
Defunding DEI (Division, Entitlement and Imposter or Didn’t Earn It) in our military is a National Security imperative and as such, the NDAA should mandate it.
Brandi Barnard King
(4) enclosures/bbk/25 APR 24
The views and opinions expressed herein are of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Air Force, military, or DoD. Any content provided reflects the opinion of the author and is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or any person.
More information:
US Air Force Ran A Social Experiment To Graduate More Minority Pilots. It Didn’t Go As Planned
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