In June we reported on a Space Force three-star general, seen above, who attended an LGBTQ+ pride month event and stated that she takes into account, in her words, “more than 400 anti-LGBTQ-plus laws that have been introduced at the state level” when reassigning personnel, including for command positions:Space Force Three-Star General Sacrifices National Security on Transgender Altar: Space Force Operations Chief Lieutenant General DeAnna Burt intentionally selects “less-qualified” Squadron Commanders rather than make an LGBTQ service member move to a red state:
Now we find out that [new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs] General [C.Q.] Brown’s colleagues are already placing competence and merit below concerns about transgender issues, as Politico recently reported:
Senior Defense Department leaders used an event celebrating Pride Month at the Pentagon on Wednesday to sound the alarm about the rising number of state laws they say target the LGBTQ community, warning the trend is hurting the armed forces…Space Force Chief Operating Officer Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, specifically referenced “more than 400 anti-LGBTQ-plus laws that have been introduced at the state level” since January.“That number is rising and demonstrates a trend that could be dangerous for service members, their families and the readiness of the force as a whole,” Burt said during the event. “Transformational cultural change requires leadership from the top, and we do not have time to wait.”…Burt said that when she looks at potential candidates for jobs in the Space Force, she must now factor in whether the position will put their family in harm’s way.“If a good match for a job does not feel safe being themselves and performing at their highest potential at a given location, or if their family could be denied critical health care due to the laws in that state, I am compelled to consider a different candidate and perhaps less-qualified,” she said.
Burt specifically referenced that she places “Squadron Commanders” in positions of authority, and that if they are “LBGTQ+” or have “LGBTQ+” family members, she will put a less-qualified (her words) military member in Command rather than make an LGBTQ+-affiliated service member move to a red state.
You can watch General Burt say this here:
But now Space Force this is not true, and said so at a Congressional hearing last week.
From The Daily Caller: Space Force Smacks Down General’s Claim They Assign Personnel Based On Red State Abortion, ‘Anti-LGBTQ’ Laws:
The Space Force’s top civilian human resources pushed back at a hearing Wednesday against a Space Force general’s prior suggestion that LGBTQ laws factor into decisions on where to station personnel…Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Human Capital Katharine Kelley denied that Space Force policy permits superior officers from dictating assignments based on state laws, appearing to contradict the general’s claim.“It certainly doesn’t reflect what our processes are,” Kelley told the House Armed Services Committee at the hearing Wednesday.
In fact, Deputy Chief Kelley flatly stated that the Space Force does not take state LGBTQ+ laws into account when reassigning personnel:
“What was she talking about?” Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz asked.Kelley said her understanding was that “her intent behind those comments is that she was describing the assignments matching process.”“I get that, that’s pretty evident. In that assignments matching process, should a state’s abortion policy come into play?”Kelley declined to speak for Burt.“What we take into account in the Space Force is the needs of the service, the guardian themselves and whether they’re qualified for the job. We take into account the preference of the individual if they’re interested in the particular job,” Kelley said.“OK, fascinating. I’m not asking about any of those things. I’m asking if you take into account a state’s abortion policy, or a state’s LGBTQ policy,” Gaetz retorted.“We do not,” Kelley said.
So, does Space Force have a General gone rogue on its hands? Kelley denied that:
Florida’s views on critical race theory would not be an acceptable reason to reassign personnel, nor would bans on abortion or owning firearms, Kelley said. The Guardian would have to clearly prove such state laws or positions create a hardship in order to be placed in a different assignment, but those issues are unlikely to meet the Space Force’s standard for approving a hardship exception.“If General Burt has gone rogue and engaged in some [sic] act to create a secret list of 400 policies that she deems discriminatory, I would like to see them,” Gaetz said.Kelly defended Burt, saying that the general used language she was “compelled to consider” rather than claiming to have actually made assignment decisions on the basis of access to transgender treatments. The general remains in her post, according to Kelly.“I certainly see how that could be construed” to undermine public trust in the military, Kelly conceded.The Space Force did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
So General Burt has never actually made assignment decisions based on how states treat transgender personnel? That is certainly not the impression that she gave at the pride celebration speech she gave. So was she lying, or just grandstanding for the transgender crowd at the speech she gave earlier this year?
Hopefully Representative Gaetz will continue to press on this issue, as it is utterly unacceptable for the military to assign personnel on any basis other than having the best, most qualified person for every job it fills, especially for command positions.
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