Lawmaker Wants to Grill Officers on Critical Race Theory Before Approving Promotions – By Jacqueline Feldscher (Defense One) / July 1 2021
It’s the latest step Sen. Tom Cotton has proposed to stop “culture wars” within the military.
Sen. Tom Cotton says he may start grilling general officers about their views on critical race theory before agreeing to promote them.
The additional questioning would be a new step in the Arkansas Republican’s efforts to eradicate military training that concerns white privilege or the oppression of Black people. Cotton argues that teaching about these things undermines troop morale and unit cohesion.
The Senate Armed Services Committee considers about 50,000 nominations each year for civilian and military officials, including all general or flag officers, even if they are not leading a major command that would require a confirmation hearing. Just last month, for example, the Air Force sent the Senate a batch of 113 Air National Guard officers who were being promoted. These slates of names are typically handled at the staff level and approved without fanfare.
But Cotton wants to rethink that.
