Tuberville says he opposed Joint Chiefs chair over ‘equal opportunity’ push

Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) said he voted against the nomination of the Pentagon’s next Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman over the military officer’s push to promote “woke policies.”

Tuberville said he objected Air Force Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr.’s efforts to recruit and promote racial minorities in the ranks. He argued that such equal opportunity efforts threaten military readiness.

“I heard some things he talked about, about race and things that he wanted to mix into the military,” he told Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power” on Tuesday. “Our military is not an equal opportunity employer. We’re looking for the best of the best to do whatever. We’re not looking for different groups, social justice groups. We don’t want to single-handedly destroy our military from within.”

Tuberville’s comments are not entirely accurate, as the U.S. military since 1948 has had an equal opportunity policy, signed into law by President Truman via an executive order. The effort desegregated the military and guaranteed “equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” 

Tuberville since late February has single-handedly blocked hundreds of military nominations over his objection to the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy, placing him squarely in the middle of debates over America’s forces.

The former Auburn University head football coach has come under fire for the holds from both sides of the aisle, and has also made several controversial statements about race in his first term.

In May, Tuberville sparked uproar when asked whether white nationalists should be able to serve in the military.

“Well, they call them that. I call them Americans,” he told an NPR station in Alabama.

He later refused to denounce the group in a CNN interview in July, saying the racism of white nationalists is a matter of “opinion.”

On Tuesday, he said he voted against Brown’s nomination because “I think he has some woke policies.” 

The Senate last week voted 83-11 to confirm Brown.

“He came out and he said we need certain groups, more pilots, certain groups to have an opportunity to be pilots,” Tuberville said. “I want it to be on merit. I want our military to be the best. I want the best people. I don’t care who they are. … Don’t give me this stuff about equal opportunity, because that’s not what this military is about.”

Tuberville was likely referencing comments Brown made in December 2020, when he noted that only 2 percent of Air Force pilots are Black, recommending that the service seek to diversify the ranks. 

Brown’s comments have been backed up by an Air Force inspector general report, released the same year, that found Black Airmen and Guardians are treated differently when looking to move up the ranks, with white Airmen promoted more often than Black or other minority Airmen.