The United States Air Force Academy recently disseminated promotional materials for the Brooke Owens Fellowship to its cadets, which expressly prohibits ‘cisgender men’ from applying.
The September 14 email urges cadets to apply for the program, which states: “If you are a cisgender woman, transgender woman, non-binary, agender, bigender, two-spirit, demigender, genderfluid, genderqueer, or any type of gender minority, this program is for you.”
If you are a cisgender man, this program is not for you, however you may be interested in the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship Program and the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program.
A concerned Air Force student forwarded the email to Fox News because, in his words, ‘it’s a little concerning that we have more D&I briefings than briefs regarding foreign rivals, developing technology, or global events.’
The fellowship was established in 2017 to honor Owens, a pilot and space policy specialist who died of breast cancer at the age of 35 in 2016.
The program offers non-cisgender male youth paid internships and executive coaching at leading aviation and space development firms.
The email also arrived as it became evident that the U.S. Army had significant recruitment challenges.
In fact, the Army reported this month that it had only reached 52% of its recruitment goals for the fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
Brian McGovern, deputy director of public affairs for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, recently stated, “The Army is experiencing its most tough recruiting environment since the commencement of the all-volunteer service in 1973.”
This year, the Army anticipates a shortage of 12,000 to 15,000 recruits.
Members of the Brooke Owens fellowship program, which places women and other gender minorities with top-tier space exploration firms to launch their careers in the sector.
The Brooke Owens fellowship logo, founded in 2017 in remembrance of pilot and space policy specialist Brooke Owens, who died of breast cancer in 2016
The US Air Force Academy, which is composed of approximately 71% men and 29% women, was recently criticized for a presentation on diversity and inclusion in which it encouraged cadets to avoid using gendered terminology in ordinary conversation.
Cadets were instructed to substitute the terms ‘parent’ and ‘guardian’ for’mother’ and ‘father.’ It was suggested that ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ be replaced with ‘partner’ and so on.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), a Green Beret and veteran of the Afghan War, stated at the time that the school’s emphasis on ‘woke’ concepts of language justice is ‘absolutely destructive to morale, to unity, and to everything that I know from a military that integrated before the rest of the country in 1948.’
In lieu of focusing on minor grammatical errors, he stated that the Air Force should be concerned with the global macro aggressions against the United States.
Air Force Academy cadets salute during the national anthem at Falcon Stadium on May 25, 2022 for their commencement ceremony.
Brooke Owens Fellows pose – candidates are chosen based on their talent, prior experience, dedication to service, and originality.
The academy, which consists of 71% male cadets, has recently promoted the Owens Fellowship, which expressly prohibits cisgender men from applying.
A spokeswoman for the academy denied that the emphasis on diversity and inclusiveness diminishes the cadets’ ‘performance in battle.’
The spokesperson stated, ‘It is the variety of Airmen and Guardians from all corners of our country who conduct the Department of the Air Force’s hundreds of vital task sets that makes us the world’s best and most inventive Air and Space Forces’
The comment was followed by a denial that the academy prohibited using’mom and dad’ or other gender-specific words.
The Air Force Academy does not prohibit the usage of’mother and father’ or other gender-specific terminology. The recent briefing on diversity and inclusion is being misinterpreted and taken out of context, said Superintendent Lt. Gen. Rich Clark. The PowerPoint in question was not intended to stand alone.
He continued, “The briefing emphasized on respect for others and the warfighting requirement of using multiple viewpoints to address our nation’s most challenging national security problems. Our strategic rivals are taking the opposite approach. Our nation’s diversity is a strategic advantage and a gateway to innovative ideas, giving us a competitive edge in air, space, and cyberspace.
A screenshot of the US Air Force Academy’s ‘diversity and inclusion’ instruction for cadets.
In 2021, the US Air Force Academy made headlines by establishing a Diversity and Inclusion Reading Room, which was particularly designated with curated literature and described in a press release as a “treasure trove of big ideas and a safe venue for open discussion.”
Mark Jensen, president of the Academy’s faculty senate and a professor of philosophy, stated, “We must encourage a knowledge of the difficulties of diversity, racism, and injustice, promote a variety of viewpoints, and be respectful of those with whom we agree and disagree.”
Daniel Couch, an assistant English professor, stated, “Our objective is to establish a forum for cadets and permanent party to widen and deepen their research of topics related to diversity, inclusivity, and justice.”
Waltz stated in an interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson that whenever the Republicans reclaim control of the House of Representatives, “we will eliminate it from the U.S. military