The U.S. Senate has been urged to reject the appointment of a Washington, D.C.-based Navy captain to rear admiral due to his promotion of diversity and inclusion initiatives. This recommendation was made by Victoria Manning, a columnist for Restoration News.
Navy Captain Kertreck Brooks, who currently serves as the transformation integration branch head at the Office of Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C., completed a Navy Fellowship at LinkedIn. The fellowship focused on “Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.” In 2017 and 2018, while serving as commanding officer of the Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center, Brooks organized Diversity Days. He said that “embracing diversity is key to both our present and future as a military organization and as a nation.” His LinkedIn profile also notes his participation in a “Culture Camp” at LinkedIn where diversity topics were discussed. During his fellowship, Brooks worked on developing an “Inclusive Leader Framework” and learned about employee resource groups aimed at promoting diversity within the Navy.
Manning wrote that it is crucial for President Trump to appoint senior-level military officers who will follow the orders of the Commander in Chief with enthusiasm. She expressed concern over recent announcements for senior officer promotions that include individuals she believes are not qualified due to their ideological stance. Manning emphasized that “President Trump must retract—or the Senate must decline to appoint—these individuals whose views don’t align with a warrior-focused military.”
Doug Truax, CEO of Restoration of America and a U.S. Army veteran, commented to DC News Line on the need for warriors in the military ranks.
President Trump issued an executive order on January 27 banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military. The order seeks to “eliminate race- and sex-based discrimination” while aiming to “restore merit and lethality” within the armed forces. Despite this mandate, Restoration claims that nominations like Brooks’ indicate ongoing resistance to merit-based reforms at senior command levels.
This article feels like a hit piece and comes across as poorly researched. CAPT Kertreck Brooks is one of the finest Naval Officers I’ve served with. For the past 20 years, every officer has been expected to give remarks at monthly DEOMI observances, which are not initiated or organized by Commanding Officers but are events they’re expected to participate in. The go yo remarks were that there is strength in diversity, especially diversity of thought, of which different backgrounds bring to the table. This article is frustrating because it misrepresents CAPT Brooks. To be clear, in my personal and unofficial capacity, I lean strongly conservative, and I can assure you CAPT Brooks is not the “woke officer” this article portrays. The criticisms here could apply to any Commanding Officer over the past two decades. We are not pawns to be sacrificed to push your story—please stop with these misleading narratives. You should apologize and retract this story.
In my 28 years in uniform, Rear Admiral Brooks is one of the finest officers with whom I have had the honor of serving. In every position, he gets results! This is clearly a hit piece written to drive an agenda. The author obviously has no idea who Admiral Brooks is as a person and as a leader.