Senate Republican Goes On Offense Against Woke Military Generals

What’s happening: Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is delaying hundreds of senior military promotions in protest of the Pentagon’s recent policy to pay for abortion-related services. The move comes amid increasing woke policies at the Pentagon in recent years, from the imposition of race-based quotas to LBGT-focused recruitment efforts.

Why it matters: Elected Republican leaders have largely balked at opportunities to scrutinize increasingly woke policies by the U.S. military, but this move could galvanize more oversight. Recruitment has dropped to new lows as the armed forces employs anti-racist programs and hosts drag shows (though the Pentagon disallowed the shows after Republican backlash).

• A turning point: Tuberville has taken incoming fire from all sides, from President Joe Biden himself to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Yet, the senator has held firm amid a growing conservative effort to stop the woke politicization of the military.

Zooming in: Military leaders are preparing to take criticism from Republican leaders. On Tuesday, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Biden’s chosen successor to General Mark Milley, faced tough questions for his previous comments on why he “hire[s] for diversity.”

The military's leftward shift: Once seen as a moderate, apolitical, and more socially conservative force in American government, the military has shifted toward “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” dogma—a shift that started with the repeal of President Bill Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that barred openly gay people from serving in the military. After President Barack Obama mandated the opening of combat units to women, his approval among troops sank to just 15 percent in 2014. Since then, the Pentagon has supported allowing transgender soldiers and now specifically courts LGBT recruits.