By Capt Joseph R. John, July 17, 2023

The below listed article was written by Dr. Scott Sturman a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Class of 1972.  In his senior year at the US Air Force Academy, he was elected by his fellow classmates as President of his Air Force Academy Class of 1972.  Dr. Sturman is on the Board of Advisors of STARRS, a group of retired military members of the US Armed Forces and civilian American Patriots whose goal is to educate their fellow Americans on the dangers of the Racist and Radical terms of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Critical Race Theory (CRT) which are Marxist created ideology policies, being indoctrinated and brainwashed into every member of the US Armed Forces.  STARRS is the acronym for Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services.

The below listed article is mature, insightful, and a warning to “every” US Senator of both political parties about what General Charles O. Brown’s biased policies have done to the capabilities of the US Air Force.  The US Air Force is short of over 2000 pilots, most of those pilots were driven out of the Air Force by General Brown’s biased policies.   The “Moral”, “Combat Effectiveness”, and “Unit Cohesion” of the US Air Force is at its lowest point in its 78-year history.   If confirmed by the US Senate as Chairman of the of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dr. Scott Sturman warns the nation that General Brown will do to the “Moral”,  “Combat Effectiveness” and “Unit Cohesion” of the US Armed Forces that he has done to the US Air Force. 

At this dangerous time in America’s history, when Communist China is threatening the very survival of the US Constitutional Republic, the United States needs a strong, Combat Effective US Air Force for National Defense and to protect the Homeland.

Copyright by Capt Joseph R. John.  All Rights Reserved.  The material can only be posted on another Web site or distributed on the Internet by giving full credit to the author.  It may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the permission from the author.  

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REAL CLEAR DEFENSE

GENERAL CHARLES Q. BROWN—TOO MANY RED FLAGS

By Scott Sturman, July 12, 2023

As the highest ranking officer in the United States armed forces, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the primary advisor in military matters to the President, Department of Defense, Homeland Security Council, and the National Security Council. Do the skill sets and history of political activism of the current nominee, General Charles Q. Brown, qualify him to lead the country's military during these turbulent times?

“Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.” – Sun Tzu

The United States military's reputation and mission readiness are in free fall, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI), which pervade the armed services, bear much of the blame. General Brown supports, promotes, and defends DEI passionately and unapologetically. Plunging enlistments, declining public trust and confidence in the highest echelons of command, lowering physical fitness and aptitude standards, and plummeting military power ratings are the result of these self-inflicted wounds. Just as saltwater tarnishes a sword, DEI erodes the fabric of trust, competence, and unit cohesion.

General Brown represents DEI in euphemistic terms that are palatable to the public and allude to fairness and equal opportunity. But DEI has deep Marxist roots based on critical theories, where merit is minimized, and power structures are based on identity, oppression, and racism. It is a stealth weapon devised by academics that breeds conformity of thought, marginalizes members of organizations solely due to superficial characteristics, and engenders favoritism. The Air Force faces a 2000 pilot deficit, but General Brown's priority is not focused on this crucial concern but rather the racial and sexual distribution of the pilots he commands.

His unwavering support of identity-based quotas and DEI imperatives is sufficient to justify and rationalize the purge of the depleted pilot corps of competent aviators that is composed of too many white males.

"Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”  – Sun Tzu

With deep divisions within the military and the uncertainty of its ability to defend the country, General Brown's leadership style comes into question. An effective leader cannot adhere to an ideology that denigrates many of those under one’s command. Leadership embodies Eisenhower's humility as it relates to blood and sacrifice, the qualities imbued in Shakespeare's St. Crispin's Day Speech, and Chiang Kai-Shek's testimony to morale and spirit.

General Brown has served as the Air Force Chief of Staff since 2020.  The Heritage Foundation's "2023 Index of Military Strength" notes that under his tenure the Air Force's military strength has descended from "marginal" in 2021, to "weak" in 2022, and to the lowest mark of "very weak" in 2023. Brown's command style prioritizes diversity, but the inexorable diminution of military strength raises grave concerns about the practice. The intentional selection of personnel based on race and ideology, prompted the watchdog group the American Accountability Association to file a complaint about possible violations of the Constitution for illegal hiring practices.

Within a month after the George Floyd incident, General Brown, who was serving as Pacific Air Force Commander, publicly voiced his private opinions. In an emotional presentation, the general departed from the military's customary practice of remaining silent on political issues. HIs rendition of the events personalized the tragedy but lacked context and served as an indictment of America as intrinsically racist. Despite being a beneficiary of an Air Force career that few achieve, he revealed himself as a person consumed by bitterness and self-righteousness rather than a sage leader striving for solutions and assuring his subordinates that justice would be served. His words evoked concerns about his temperament and penchant for analyzing complex problems through a racial lens.

General Brown has not resisted the temptation to opine boldly in public about controversial political issues. The public's trust in the military has been trending downward for the past 20 years and is approaching historic lows. High ranking officers have become openly political, eschewed impartiality, quibbled, or openly lied to the public. Why would members of the military, whose members represent generations of men and women whose reputations are based on honesty, trust, and integrity, emulate the ethos of members of Congress, whom only 9% of Americans rate “very high” or “high” in these character traits?

The choice to install General Brown as the next CJCS is overtly political. The public should be skeptical of the general's contentious leadership style which is anchored in DEI ideology—a Marxist derived philosophy, which he has aggressively instituted throughout the Air Force. During his term as Air Force Chief of the Staff, the Air Force has experienced a precipitous drop in morale, recruitment goals, mission readiness, and personal standards. As CJCS, is he willing and able to convey sensitive information relating to national security to the highest reaches of government without introducing personal bias? There are too many red flags. The new CJCS must heal the military's gaping wounds and restore its traditional priorities of ability, service, and unity without regard to phenotype.

General Brown is not up to the task!

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