{"id":1953264,"date":"2023-06-21T16:17:05","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:17:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-committee-advances-amendment-restoring-meritocracy-to-military-personnel-decisions\/"},"modified":"2023-06-21T16:18:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T20:18:18","slug":"house-committee-advances-amendment-restoring-meritocracy-to-military-personnel-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-committee-advances-amendment-restoring-meritocracy-to-military-personnel-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"House Committee Approves Amendment to Reinstate Meritocracy in Military Personnel Choices"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhouse-committee-advances-amendment-restoring-meritocracy-to-military-personnel-decisions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1953264&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure>\n        <!-- Image --><br \/>\n      <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee added an amendment to a 2024 defense spending package on Wednesday that mandates the Pentagon use merit-based personnel systems.<\/p>\n<p>Introduced by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., the <a href=\"https:\/\/banks.house.gov\/uploadedfiles\/merit_personnell.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amendment<\/a> requires the Secretary of Defense to issue regulations no later than Sept. 30, 2024, that \u201cany effort to recruit an individual to serve in a covered Armed Force may not take into account the race or gender of such individual.\u201d The reform further specifies that the Defense Department must use a merit-based system to determine military promotions and assignments, which includes factors such as \u201cqualifications, performance, integrity, fitness, training, and conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Banks amendment was one of several considered during a committee markup of the fiscal year 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/event\/118th-congress\/house-event\/115844\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Defense Authorization Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerica\u2019s military became the greatest fighting force in the history of the world by promoting excellence, embracing colorblind principles, and attracting our nation\u2019s best and brightest,\u201d Banks said. \u201cThe Biden DoD\u2019s indefensible race and gender-based treatment of servicemembers is making our military weaker and our nation less safe. Anti-woke legislators should continue to roll back the Biden administration\u2019s radical attempts to deny Americans\u2019 equal protection under the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Following President Joe Biden\u2019s 2021 inauguration, the Defense Department began heavily pushing military leadership to adopt discriminatory \u201cDEI\u201d ideology. For context, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (often abbreviated to DEI) promote a divisive and poisonous ideology that\u2019s dismissive of merit and discriminates based on characteristics such as skin color and sexual orientation. Individuals who qualify for a certain position due to their merits but don\u2019t meet the discriminating entity\u2019s goal of being more \u201cdiverse\u201d are passed over in favor of those who meet the preferred identitarian standards.<\/p>\n<p>In May 2021, for example, then-Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/Press-Office\/Press-Releases\/display-pressreleases\/Article\/2619239\/don-announces-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-planning-actions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memo<\/a> outlining an action plan to promote DEI in the Navy. The <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2021\/May\/17\/2002645340\/-1\/-1\/0\/DON%20DIVESITY%20EQUITY%20AND%20INCLUSION%20PLANNING%20ACTIONS.PDF\/DON%20DIVESITY%20EQUITY%20AND%20INCLUSION%20PLANNING%20ACTIONS.PDF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">document<\/a> instructed the Navy\u2019s chief diversity officer and an assistant secretary to \u201clead and oversee all DEI efforts across the Department to synchronize key policies and initiatives \u2026 and to develop a strategy to advance DEI across the enterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Air Force leadership issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.af.mil\/Portals\/1\/documents\/2022SAF\/Officer_Source_of_Commission_Applicant_Pool_Goals_memo.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">similar memo<\/a> in August 2022 directing the Air Force Academy and Air Education and Training Command to \u201cdevelop a diversity and inclusion outreach plan\u201d aimed at \u201cachieving a force more representative of our Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n[<strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/06\/the-air-force-is-using-taxpayer-money-to-fly-service-members-to-branch-pride-events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Air Force Is Using Taxpayer Money To Fly Service Members To Branch \u2018Pride\u2019 Events<\/a><\/strong>]\n<p>Last month, Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/news.usni.org\/2023\/05\/25\/biden-taps-air-force-gen-cq-brown-as-next-chairman-of-joint-chiefs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nominated<\/a> Air Force Chief of Staff and Gen. Charles Q. Brown to be the next chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brown \u2014 who was nominated to the former position by then-President Donald Trump \u2014 has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/08\/bidens-pick-for-joint-chiefs-chair-made-diversity-and-inclusion-focal-points-in-air-force-personnel-decisions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admitted<\/a> to using his post to increase opportunities for so-called \u201cdiverse candidates\u201d in the Air Force. While speaking at a November 2020 event, for instance, Brown said he \u201chire[d] for diversity\u201d when building his staff and indicated that \u201c[a]t the higher level of the Air Force, diversity ha[d] moved to the forefront of personnel decisions such as promotions and hiring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Brown has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defenseone.com\/policy\/2022\/02\/inside-air-force-chiefs-mission-racial-equity\/362191\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pushed back<\/a> against sentiments from congressional Republicans who have expressed concerns about the Biden administration\u2019s attempt to spread DEI instruction throughout the military.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>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<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee included an amendment in a 2024 defense spending package, demanding the Pentagon implement merit-based personnel systems. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., introduced the amendment, which obligates the Secretary of Defense to establish regulations by Sept. 30, 2024, ensuring fair recruitment practices for individuals based on merit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":1953265,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6173,4935,4384,5733,3653,18925,4505,4792,14477],"class_list":["post-1953264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-advances","tag-amendment","tag-committee","tag-decisions","tag-house","tag-meritocracy","tag-military","tag-personnel","tag-restoring"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1953264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1953264\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1953265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1953264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1953264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1953264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}