Restoring Merit in the Military Act

This bill says the military must make all decisions about people—like hiring, promotions, assignments, command picks, and training—based only on a person’s skills, fitness, and performance. It bans using race, ethnicity, or national origin in any of these choices across the Department of Defense.

There is a narrow exception. For certain unusual missions in other countries, leaders may consider race, ethnicity, or national origin if it could help the mission succeed. A top commander must approve this, and the Pentagon must report the details to Congress within 60 days, including the mission, who went, why these factors mattered, and the demographics of the personnel involved.

• Who is affected: Service members and military decision-makers across the Department of Defense.
• What changes: Personnel actions must be based only on merit; use of race, ethnicity, or national origin is banned, with a limited mission-based exception that requires high-level approval and reporting.
• When: Takes effect as written if enacted; reporting is due within 60 days after any approved exception is used.