National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024

Floor Speech

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, Mr. Banks' amendment to prohibit our Nation's service academies from promoting diverse experiences and backgrounds as part of its missions policy will do nothing but weaken our military.

The Supreme Court recently recognized in its decision to leave service academies out of its ruling on affirmative action that our academies are not laboratories for ideological gerrymandering. They are institutions that are foundational to our national security.

Our service academies are responsible for providing a higher education but also for training our Nation's men and women to serve as global leaders. Many graduates will serve in the highest levels of our military and government, where success depends on maintaining an open mind, building diverse coalitions, and drawing on broad experiences. They will lead as part of a military that has never been more diverse, more capable, or more lethal. Soon, nearly half of our servicemembers will be people of color, but only a fraction serve as officers and even a smaller fraction as senior leaders.

We learned bitter and painful lessons in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, when leaders neither understood nor looked like the formations they led.

It is 2023, not 1952. If my colleagues across the aisle knew more about the painful history of this country, perhaps last night one of them would not have referred to Black servicemembers as ``colored people.''

Let's not move our country backward. I oppose this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kim), the ranking member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.

Mr. KIM of New Jersey. Mr. Chair, I want to respond to what was just said.

It is absolutely important that we set straight that diversity does not mean we are talking about people who are less qualified. We are not talking about reducing standards. We are talking about recognizing one part of the decision as one part of many.

This is not a situation where it is the overriding factor. I agree with what Chairman Banks said, which is that we want the best and brightest, but what we recognize when it comes to our service academies, in particular, is that this is a situation where we are trying to also build a force.

This is not just about an individual. Yes, we want the best and brightest, but we also want the most cohesive and effective fighting force for our country.

We recognize we are building an entity where our servicemembers are part of something bigger than all of them.

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chair, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. KIM of New Jersey. I think about this brief that was put forward to the Supreme Court that was written by former military officials that said: ``The importance of maintaining a diverse, highly qualified officer corps has been beyond legitimate dispute for decades. History has shown that placing a diverse Armed Forces under the command of homogenous leadership is a recipe for internal resentment, discord, and violence.''

This is written by former military leaders who are advising us to make sure that we let the military be able to control and be able to have the tools they need to build a force that our country needs.

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ryan), vice ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee.

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, today's military leaders are unequivocal in their support of diversity and leadership. Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley considers it fundamental. Army Chief McConville calls it a crucial competitive advantage. Then-Air Force Chief CQ Brown called diversity an imperative. Marine Corps Commandant Berger said the core of America's strength lies in its diversity.

The very government assembled here today, in its amicus brief to the Supreme Court, characterized a diverse pool of academy graduates as a vital interest on which the Nation's future depends.

The American people expect and demand that our academies are given every tool and advantage to train leaders capable of fighting and winning our Nation's wars. Make no mistake, diversity is not synonymous with less qualified. We want the best. We want the brightest. We need the most diverse.

This amendment attempts to weaken a concept foundational to our current and future military supremacy, that diversity translates into capability and lethality.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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