An Air Force officer whose promotion to brigadier general has been stalled by a Republican senator fighting against diversity initiatives in the military has been granted another year to try to win Senate confirmation.
Col. Ben Jonsson’s nomination to become a one-star general was set to expire May 1 under a law that says military officer promotions that require Senate confirmation must be approved within 18 months after they are first nominated.
But the law also allows nominations to be extended for another 12 months, if the president chooses to do so. Jonsson was granted that extension, making the new deadline for his confirmation May 1, 2025, a Defense Department official told Military.com.
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Jonsson, who currently serves as chief of staff at Air Mobility Command and garnered attention in 2020 for writing a fiery op-ed against racism in the military, has become an avatar for conservative lawmakers and pundits’ fight against what they consider to be a left-wing agenda infiltrating the military. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., has used a procedural tactic known as a hold to block Jonsson’s confirmation.
Jonsson was originally one of hundreds of military officers whose promotions were stalled last year by the monthslong blockade Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., maintained against military confirmations in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion…
