Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who leads the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Personnel, has initiated an investigation into what he perceives as the U.S. Air Force’s reliance on quotas based on race and gender within its selection process for officers.
On Tuesday, Banks made public a correspondence he sent to Alex Wagner, the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. In this letter, Banks queries why the Air Force appears to be decreasing its efforts to recruit from certain population segments, especially at a time when it faces challenges in meeting its recruitment objectives.
Furthermore, Banks sought clarification from Wagner on how the race and gender quotas differ from the objectives related to “Diversity & Inclusion” that he has established.
Banks expressed his concerns in a press release, stating, “The Biden-Harris DOD’s use of race and sex based quotas is un-American and it should be illegal. It is difficult to understand how the Air Force could aim to cut recruiting of Americans who don’t check the right demographic boxes during the worst recruiting crisis in the history of the All-Volunteer Force.”
He continued by emphasizing the necessity for the Republican party to prioritize merit within the armed services, asserting, “Republicans must work to put merit back at the center of our armed services. It is the right thing to do and it is the only way we will be able to compete with Communist China.”