Senate Must Reject Woke Senior Military Officers Up for June 24 Appointments
by Victoria Manning
President Trump nominated many great officers, but several don't align with his warrior-focused agenda.
It's imperative that President Trump appoints senior-level military officers who will enthusiastically follow the orders of the Commander in Chief. Yet several of his recent announcements for senior officer promotions include officers who've proven they aren't qualified to lead due to their leftist ideology. President Trump must retract—or the Senate must decline to appoint—these individuals whose views don't align with a warrior-focused military.
We can't trust woke ideologues to de-woke our military. By exercising such poor judgment in supporting leftist ideology, these officers have proven they're too irresponsible to be put in charge of America's military.
The Senate will be reviewing these appointments and vote on whether to approve them on June 24th. While there are many qualified recommendations made by President Trump, these are the ones who do not deserve his nomination and must be rejected by the Senate for appointment.
Air Force Colonel Kenneth C. McGhee is being considered for promotion to brigadier general. He currently serves as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force at the Pentagon.
In June 2024, McGhee signed and celebrated the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex (LGBTQI+) Pride Month Proclamation at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. McGhee said in response to LGBTQI month, "Our Airmen think differently, our nation thinks differently and we have evolved, and thank goodness we have.”
During a Fireside Chat with the Minot commanders on October 30, 2023, McGhee said: "Diversity is extremely important to us up here."
In February 2023, McGhee told the media that "Being able to take a month out of the year and teach African American history is very valuable. My goal is that we are able to re-educate people across [sic] on some of the things they have forgotten over time . . . ."
In June 2022, McGhee highlighted "A team that full [sic] capitalizes on the strength of our diversity."
Air Force Colonel Todd E. Randolph is being considered for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. He currently serves as military fellow on the Council on Foreign Relations, New York, New York.
In 2023, Randolph addressed Commanders across Joint Base Andrews to thank them for the 2023 Dept of Defense Cultural Observances and Awareness Events. “There is still work to be done,” said Randolph. “Stay committed to promoting that our diversity is a strength. Everyone is welcome here, and it’s important for us to recognize that everyone has a story.”
In November 2024, Randolph spoke at a Young Professionals Briefing (10 minute point) and said: "Understanding the diversity of our team is the strength of our team." He then used an example of a servicemember under his command who wanted out of the Air Force after the Hamas attack on Israel since he had Palestinian family members and declined to support Israel. Randolph praised this servicemember for deciding to leave the Air Force for this reason.
In 2024, Randolph spoke at a Women's DEI conference stating: “Their representation at all levels of the workforce drive economic growth, enhance organization performance, and contribute to a more equitable and just society.”
Air Force Colonel Matthew R. Reilman is being considered for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. He is currently serving as chief of staff, 9th Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.
In June 2022, Reilman spoke at a Pride Month Kickoff. He spoke of the importance of recognizing and supporting the LGBTQ+ community throughout the military.
March 2022, Reilman held a Commander's Call to focus on diversity. He brought in the chief diversity and inclusion officer at Angelo State University as the guest speaker who focused on the methods of improving diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence within the Air Force.
Air Force Colonel George Hall Sebren, Jr. is being considered for appointment to brigadier general. He currently serves as deputy commander, Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
Sebren authored a 21-page research paper in 2017 claiming the Air force was not utilizing enough diversity when promoting officers. Some quotes from the paper:
“The Air Force is not drawing upon its full talent pool for leadership in its most senior positions. This also has another negative affect of creating a general officer cohort that severely lacks diversity. Active duty general officer statistics bear out that the group is 94 white and only 7 female as opposed to the overall Air Force population that is 72 white and 20 female. While more diverse than in the past in terms of Air Force Specialty Code, the general officer cohort is 58 pilot officers, even though the promotion pool for selection to O-6 is only 30 pilot officers.”
"It is time to look at different ways to select future general officers for the Air Force."
"But we still struggle with getting even the 'big three of race, gender, and ethnicity' correct."
Quoting and agreeing with Democrat Rep. James Clyburn: "House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) has his eye on the diversity of senior officers within the Department of Defense as well. He said: 'Just as our military looks like America, so too must our general officers. If minorities are asked to go into harm’s way, they must be allowed to lead as well.' He is right, but his eye is only looking at race; he should also be looking at gender . . . ."
Air Force Colonel Scott P. Weyermuller is being considered for appointment to brigadier general. He currently serves as senior executive officer to the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.
Posted a Pride Month celebration post for his base: “2nd Bomb Wing Commander Col. Scott P. Weyermuller said, "Inequity and discrimination undermine the Air Force's Core Values and the 2nd Bomb Wing's priorities where we empower an inclusive culture for all Airmen." The Barksdale Air Force Base Facebook post continued to explain that "the Air Force values all LGBTQ+ Airmen, guardians and their families, and continues to work toward policy changes and building an inclusive environment for everyone to thrive."
Navy Captain Kertreck Brooks is being considered for appointment to rear admiral (lower half). He currently serves as transformation integration branch head, Office of Chief of Naval Operations, D.C.
Kertreck's Linkedin account promotes his ideals related to diversity. He served as a Navy Fellow at Linkedin where he completed a rotation in "Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging." He also proudly participated in a Linkedin "Culture Camp" where diversity, inclusion, and belonging was a key topic.
While serving in his LinkedIn fellowship he also highlighted his focus learning about employee resource groups and developing an "Inclusive Leader Framework."
In both 2017 and 2018 when Kertreck was the commanding officer of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center, he held Diversity Days. He said, "embracing diversity is key to both our present and future as a military organization and as a nation."
These officers' fixation with sexual identity and ideology rather than merit disqualifies them to lead a warrior-focused military. If their judgment cannot be trusted, they must not be put in senior command. America deserves better.
Republished with permission from Restoration News.
Victoria Manning is a Senior Investigative Researcher for Restoration News specializing in education freedom, abortion, and immigration, and the author of Behind the Wall of Government Schools. Victoria served 8 years as an elected school board member with a master’s degree in law. She also brings the perspective of a military spouse and mother to her reporting.
