{"id":2458716,"date":"2025-07-11T16:08:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T20:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-banks-blocks-air-force-nominee-over-dei-advocacy\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T16:11:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T20:11:06","slug":"report-banks-blocks-air-force-nominee-over-dei-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-banks-blocks-air-force-nominee-over-dei-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Banks Blocks Air Force Nominee Over DEI Advocacy"},"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\">18<\/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%2Freport-banks-blocks-air-force-nominee-over-dei-advocacy%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=2458716&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--><p>Senator Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana, has placed a hold on the promotion of Air Force Colonel George H. Sebren to brigadier general. Sebren previously authored a 2017 research paper criticizing the Air Force for lacking diversity in its senior leadership and advocating for race- and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >gender-based promotion policies<\/a> to address this issue. Banks expressed serious concerns about military officers who support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and has used his senatorial authority to block Sebren&#8217;s promotion. This action aligns with Banks&#8217; previous opposition to DEI policies in the military, which he has called offensive and risky. The hold on Sebren&#8217;s promotion comes at a time when the Pentagon has also withdrawn the promotion of a Navy admiral connected to controversial cultural events.The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/boxer-imane-khelif-beats-another-female-opponent-to-advance-to-olympic-final\/\" title=\"Boxer Imane Khelif Beats Another Female Opponent to Advance to Olympic Final\">situation highlights ongoing debates<\/a> and tensions over DEI and &#8220;woke&#8221; initiatives within the U.S. military leadership and promotion processes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Jim_Banks_(54349212106).jpg\">Gage Skidmore\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/11\/report-sen-banks-imposes-hold-on-air-force-nominee-who-backed-dei-based-promotions\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Report:%20Sen.%20Banks%20Imposes%20Hold%20On%20Air%20Force%20Nominee%20Who%20Backed%20DEI-Based%20Promotions&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/11\/report-sen-banks-imposes-hold-on-air-force-nominee-who-backed-dei-based-promotions\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Report:%20Sen.%20Banks%20Imposes%20Hold%20On%20Air%20Force%20Nominee%20Who%20Backed%20DEI-Based%20Promotions&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/11\/report-sen-banks-imposes-hold-on-air-force-nominee-who-backed-dei-based-promotions\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/11\/report-sen-banks-imposes-hold-on-air-force-nominee-who-backed-dei-based-promotions\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Report:%20Sen.%20Banks%20Imposes%20Hold%20On%20Air%20Force%20Nominee%20Who%20Backed%20DEI-Based%20Promotions&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/11\/report-sen-banks-imposes-hold-on-air-force-nominee-who-backed-dei-based-promotions\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., is blocking the promotion of an Air Force colonel who supported race- and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/effective-republican-attorneys-general-get-slapped-with-politicized-ethics-charges\/\" title=\"... AGs Face Politicized Ethics Charges\">gender-based promotions<\/a> in the service, according to a new report.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Breitbart News&rsquo; Bradley Jaye <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2025\/07\/10\/exclusive-sen-banks-blocks-promotion-of-woke-air-force-colonel-advocating-race-and-gender-based-promotion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revealed<\/a> that Indiana&rsquo;s junior senator has placed a hold on Air Force Col. George H. Sebren, who &ldquo;authored a 2017 research paper&nbsp;lamenting the creation of &lsquo;a general officer cohort that severely lacks diversity.&rsquo;&rdquo; The Defense Department <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Releases\/Release\/Article\/4216465\/secretary-of-defense-general-officer-announcements-for-june-13-2025\/#:~:text=George%20H.,Tinker%20Air%20Force%20Base%2C%20Oklahoma.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> Sebren&rsquo;s nomination to the rank of brigadier general last month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1486387220\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; a Banks representative told Breitbart News.<\/p>\n<p>As described by Jaye, &ldquo;In the modern Senate, where the calendar is one of the greatest impediments,&nbsp;most military promotions are confirmed through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-mitch-mcconnell-received-donations-from-voting-machine-lobbyists-before-blocking-election-security-bills\/\" title=\"Flashback: Mitch McConnell Received Donations from Voting Machine Lobbyists Before Blocking Election Security Bills\">unanimous consent<\/a> to bypass the timely process required under regular order.&rdquo; &ldquo;A single objection,&rdquo; he wrote, &ldquo;prohibits the unanimous consent process from going forward.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In his 2017 <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.dtic.mil\/sti\/pdfs\/AD1041985.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">research paper<\/a>, Sebren&nbsp;claimed &ldquo;The Air Force is not drawing upon its full talent pool for leadership in its most senior positions,&rdquo; adding that this &ldquo;has another negative affect of creating a general officer cohort that severely lacks diversity.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is time to look at different ways to select future general officers for the Air Force,&rdquo; Sebren wrote. &ldquo;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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Banks&rsquo; reported hold on Sebren&rsquo;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 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/07\/11\/jim-banks-blasts-bidens-unconstitutional-and-dangerous-push-for-racial-and-sexual-politics-in-the-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blasted<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Banks told The Federalist at the time. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s offensive, unconstitutional, and dangerous.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Thursday&rsquo;s news came the same day The Daily Wire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/exclusive-pentagon-ditches-admiral-who-allowed-drag-queen-performances-on-aircraft-carrier\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> the Pentagon <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/10\/pentagon-pulls-promotion-of-admiral-who-allowed-drag-shows-after-federalist-inquiry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">yanked<\/a> 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/07\/03\/white-house-pentagon-wont-say-why-admiral-who-allowed-drag-shows-on-navy-ship-was-nominated-for-promotion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pressed<\/a> the Defense Department and the White House on the matter.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-say-bidens-female-led-comms-is-a-first-trump-has-that-now\/\" title=\"Media Say Biden&#039;s Female-Led Comms Is A First. Trump Has That Now\">previously served<\/a> 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<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/air-force\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Air Force<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dei\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">DEI<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/george-sebren\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">George Sebren<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jim-banks\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jim Banks<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/military\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">military<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/military-nominations\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">military nominations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/senate-confirmation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Senate confirmation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/senate-holds\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Senate holds<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/woke-military\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">woke military<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Jim Banks blocks Air Force colonel&#8217;s promotion over DEI support<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2458717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Jim-Banks.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[58922,8961,58923,58924,50944],"class_list":["post-2458716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-air-force-nominee","tag-banks","tag-dei-advocacy","tag-nomination-blocked","tag-report-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Jim-Banks.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458716","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=2458716"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2458720,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458716\/revisions\/2458720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2458717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}