Air Force claims ‘no records’ found in racial quota records request
Breccan F. Thies
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EXCLUSIVE — The U.S. Air Force claims it could not find any records referencing race or diversity and inclusion in a public records request seeking information on its personnel diversity goals.
In August, the Center to Advance Security in America filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Air Force Air Education and Training Command requesting details of racial percentage “goals” set by then-Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown.
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Brown has been serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since Oct. 1.
In an August 2022 letter, “Officer Source of Commission Applicant Pool Goals,” Brown laid out “aspirational” goals for the Air Force, including a gender representation of 64% male, 36% female, and a racial breakdown of 67.5% white, 13% black, 10% Asian, 9.5% Hispanic, 1.5% Native American, and 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.
While some point out that those “goals” look like quotas, which are illegal, the military maintains they are not.
The letter states that the diversity goals “continues our progress toward achieving a force more representative of our Nation, while leveraging that diversity to enhance the Air and Space Force’s ability to deter, and if necessary, deny our Nation’s competitors.” It directed the Air Education and Training Command to a “diversity and inclusion outreach plan” by Sept. 30, 2022.
The Center to Advance Security in America submitted an FOIA request looking for key words such as “white,” “black,” “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” “race,” “Charles Q. Brown,” and other words that show up in the diversity letter, but the Air Force replied that it had “no records.”
“The Air Force is stonewalling. Brown’s directive on racial quotas very likely sparked questions and internal conversations from subordinates,” Center to Advance Security in America Director James Fitzpatrick told the Washington Examiner. “CASA will continue to demand transparency surrounding this unprecedented push for divisive policies that appear to be directly contributing to stalled recruiting and diminished military preparedness.”
The organization is appealing the decision, noting that the Air Force response “cannot be accurate.”
“The quick ‘no records’ response is not only extremely unlikely, it raises questions over the agency’s motives for denying the existence of records of strong public interest,” the appeal states. “Once obtained, the records could indicate further extreme DEI advocacy by officials at the behest of President Biden’s recently confirmed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
The Center to Advance Security in America also maintains the Brown letter could be in violation of nondiscrimination law governed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, citing a civil and constitutional rights complaint filed against Brown by a government watchdog.
Air Force headquarters told the Washington Examiner that it could not comment on the appeal until it has been processed completely and added that the decision to issue a “no records” response is unknown because the FOIA request was submitted to the Air Education and Training Command, which is in Lackland, Texas.
However, regarding the diversity “goals” and the concern that they are actually quotas, Master Sgt. Deana Heitzman, superintendent of the Air Force Public Affairs Operations Press Desk, told the Washington Examiner that “both law and Department of the Air Force policy prevents quotas; The memo directs applicant pool goals should not be used in any manner that undermines our merit-based processes.”
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“The desire of these goals is to match the composition of the officer applicant pool to the composition of the population eligible to serve as officers,” she continued. “Additionally, these goals do not affect selection requirements and the memo doesn’t change qualification criteria or direct any outcomes in the composition of the final force.”
Heitzman also noted that the percentages were “informed” by the census and other data collection across the government.