Top Contender To Lead US Air Force Was Big Into DEI: Report

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the leading candidate to replace retiring Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, has made diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a prominent component of his leadership.

During his tenure as Commander of Pacific Air Forces, Wilsbach appeared in a video following George Floyd’s death during which he vowed to make DEI “a reality in PACAF.” He reinforced his commitment by naming DEI alongside readiness, innovation, and lethality as his top priorities when he took command, according to the Daily Caller.

His outspoken support for DEI could clash with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive to rid the military of partisan and left-wing political influence—raising questions about whether Wilsbach’s public stance will derail his prospects for promotion.

Wilsbach, during his time as Commander of the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), appeared in a video after the death of George Floyd in 2020 captioned “Dialogue on Race.” In the video Wilsbach said that he would ensure that “diversity and inclusion is a reality in PACAF.”

This should not happen. Hopefully @PeteHegseth is made aware of how woke this guy is. https://t.co/GA53LBGyiN

— Wade Miller (@WadeMiller_USMC) September 5, 2025

Also, an article written by the general in 2021 has resurfaced, where he stated that DEI was a top priority for the Air Force. “When I took command, I laid out four priorities – diversity, readiness, innovation, and lethality – to focus our efforts,” Wilsbach wrote.

Wilsbach also joined a virtual PACAF conference that featured speakers emphasizing the importance of DEI, noted the Caller.

The stance could run counter to one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief objectives at the Pentagon: eliminating left-leaning political initiatives and the personnel who promote them.

“The fight against decades of politicization must be more stringent and absolute to reclaim America’s military,” Will Thibeau, director of the American Military Project, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“As such, DEI advocates like General Wilsbach cannot be allowed to serve as senior leaders in the Air Force. His brazen, public embrace of DEI is disqualifying, because it is clear diversity is something in which he wholeheartedly believes in and out of uniform,” he added.