Military recruitment is so short of its yearly goal that an Armed Services Committee hearing will consider the implications of woke programs on its ability to attract new service members.
The hearing will examine the impact of President Joe Biden’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs on the armed forces. Legislators will discuss the military’s current “readiness, lethality, and cohesion” in light of drastic recent changes.
The Army’s recruiting is struggling to the point where the old “be all you can be” ad campaign is now dusted off and rolled out again. Research shows that young people are less interested in military service than just about any point in the last half-century.
One noticeable difference in today’s military is the intolerance for those with conservative viewpoints.
Will U.S. Military Recruitment Struggles Cripple Response to Wars?
Being WOKE doesn't help.https://t.co/TMu2ZTRnU1
— NoFakeNews (@TruthOnlyNews) March 21, 2023
A catalyst for this change was the Jan. 6 Capitol incident. Leftists saw the protesters as violent “insurrectionists” who were all conservative Trump supporters. This led to a belief that the military had to be purged of those with similar values.
Shortly afterward, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley called for a day to address this “crisis.” The one-day civilian stand-down was “to discuss extremism in the ranks” and to “rid our ranks of racists and extremists.”
This effort led to an explosion in DEI-related training in the armed forces. Service members in recent months have loudly complained that the military is “extremely woke.”
One service member told Fox News that they “perceive the Army leadership as woke, and probably the lower enlisted.” They added, “Equity diversity is another way to divide and control the masses. It does nothing for the warfighter.”
Another reported that the simple act of questioning DEI goals or methods is enough to be punished. And that punishment, they said, is “swift, harsh, and public.”
Yet another recalled seeing many people in favored groups not living up to military standards. That, however, is overlooked. As they said, “Nobody corrects them due to the fear of being fired and labeled a racist.”
The armed forces have a dramatically important duty, and it is not to socially engineer U.S. society to fit the image favored by the current administration. When defending the nation is desperately needed, no one cares if DEI goals were met.
