Indiana – Senator Jim Banks of Indiana has placed a hold on the promotion of Air Force Colonel George H. Sebren, citing deep concerns about the colonel’s past support for race and gender-based diversity policies in military advancement. The move underscores the growing tension in Washington over the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the U.S. military.
Col. Sebren, who has been nominated for promotion to Brigadier General, previously authored a 2017 research paper that criticized the lack of diversity among high-ranking officers in the Air Force. In the paper, he argued that the promotion system failed to reflect the racial and gender diversity of the broader population, stating it had produced “a general officer cohort that severely lacks diversity.” He further asserted that the current structure favored white males, leading to an imbalance in leadership that he believed harmed the institution’s effectiveness and fairness.
His position, however, has drawn sharp criticism from Senator Banks, a long-time critic of what he describes as “woke” policies infiltrating the military. Banks, who founded the Anti-Woke Caucus in 2023 during his time in the House of Representatives, has used his authority in the Senate to block Sebren’s nomination.
“Senator Banks has serious concerns about military officers who have championed DEI and wokeness in the military and has exercised his authority as a senator to place a hold on this promotion,” a spokesperson for Banks told Breitbart News.
A “hold” in the Senate is a procedural move that allows any senator to signal their objection to a nomination moving forward by unanimous consent. Since most military promotions are approved through that process to save time, a single hold can stall the advancement indefinitely unless Senate leadership chooses to bring the nomination to the floor under regular order — a time-consuming alternative.
Banks’s opposition comes amid a broader national debate over affirmative action, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2023 decision striking down race-based college admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. At the time, Banks applauded the ruling and called for similar policies to be eliminated across all federal agencies, including the military.
“We must recognize that every American should be judged by the content of their character, not by the color of their skin,” Banks told Breitbart News following the court’s decision. “Affirmative action is just as wrong in federal hiring, contracting, and the military as it was at our universities. Congress should ban race-based preferences throughout the entire federal government.”
The Air Force has not publicly responded to the block on Sebren’s nomination, and it remains unclear whether leadership will attempt to move his promotion forward through a full Senate vote. For now, the hold serves as a signal that ideological battles over DEI policies are likely to intensify, especially as more military leaders come under scrutiny for their views on race and gender in promotion practices.
While the military has historically aimed to reflect the nation’s values and demographics, critics like Banks believe that merit — not identity — should be the only factor in advancement. His move may embolden others in Congress who share his views and are prepared to challenge what they see as a shift away from traditional military standards.
As the debate unfolds, the question remains whether Sebren’s promotion will be the only one affected — or if it’s just the beginning of a broader challenge to DEI-aligned leaders within the armed forces.
