'Woke' General Says Too Many Air Force Pilots Are White Men

'Woke' General Says Too Many Air Force Pilots Are White Men


The one remaining American institution that did not appear to be overtly politicized — the U.S. military — has become incredibly (and dangerously) so under the Biden regime, and that’s not going to end well for our country.

Like the nation, the military is diverse, filled with men and women from many different backgrounds and upbringings. It is also diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, as it must be in order to fulfill its mission of defending all Americans without regard to race, sex, creed, color, religion, etc.

But over the past year, we have witnessed some of the military’s highest-ranking officers make overly racist and politicized remarks in public, and that is disconcerting, to say the least.

The latest comes from Air Force Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas, chief of the branch’s recruiting command, who wrote at Yahoo News that there are — get this — too many white males flying fighter planes. How incredibly ‘woke.’ And foolish.

Lamenting that 86 percent of the service’s pilots are white men, Thomas, who is white (and an apologist, apparently), the death of George Floyd should compel the service to change the ethnic makeup of one of the toughest jobs in the world, and one where substandardness simply cannot ever suffice.

After correctly pointing out that only a minuscule amount of American youth are either qualified to serve in the military (due to a variety of issues including aptitude, obesity, prior drug use, and fitness) and fewer still have family members who have served, Thomas then goes on to blatantly lie regarding the intent of his column.

“To be clear, the Air and Space Forces are not setting quotas based on race or gender,” he writes, before undermining that claim with the very next line: “We will, however, focus intensely and concentrate our efforts in traditionally underserved communities.”

That is simply woke left-wing code language for ‘We are setting quotas based on race or gender.’

He adds:

While we are meeting or exceeding nearly all demographic targets in our enlisted ranks, inside our cockpits is where we have the greatest disparities and opportunities for improvement. In all, 86 percent of our aviators are white males. Less than 3 percent of our fighter pilots are females. This is why we established a detachment within Air Force recruiting two years ago charged with improving diversity for those who wear flight suits. The mission of Detachment 1 is to bring a singular focus to recruiting qualified women and minorities who have not always felt they belonged.

Pursuing equality means we must be sure that we are attracting the most capable members of our society, from all races and walks of life, as we prepare for the next fight. This fighting force should be highly capable while reflecting the diversity of the country we serve. Before I even took command of my service’s recruiting efforts this spring, Air Force leadership made it clear to me that improving diversity would be on the top of my to-do list. And recent national events only serve as an accelerant as we take aim and tackle this vexing issue.

Again, this is woke military-bureaucratic doublespeak; does it really matter whether our military ‘reflects the diversity of the country we serve’ or is it more important that whoever wears the uniform is capable, competent, and loyal?

Also, let’s be honest: There likely are a number of reasons why more women and ‘persons of color’ aren’t flying fighter planes, including the fact that most people simply don’t want to. It’s a dangerous job, flying fighter planes, and it’s certainly not for everyone. To that point, lots of white males who have attempted to become pilots don’t make it. It’s an incredibly demanding career.

But to even suggest that pilot selection should focus more on gender or race is an abomination; if our military was functioning properly, MG Thomas would standing tall before his commander to explain how why he thought it was a good idea to even leave the impression that filling fighter plane cockpits should be done with a greater focus on race and gender.

There is no doubt that it’s becoming more difficult to recruit qualified men and women to serve. But that could also be due to the military’s leftward lurch under Biden, as evidenced by lectures from the Joint Chiefs chairman on “white rage” and the Army’s new “transgenderism.”


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