Waltz and Hunt caution against military ‘woke’ politics impacting readiness.

The Military’s “Woke” Policies: Race vs. Effectiveness

The military’s “woke” policies are putting race before effectiveness, according to two veterans who now serve in Congress.

Reps. Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Wesley Hunt (R-TX) joined a conversation on Fox News Tonight, explaining how leftist policies are affecting the military’s ability to win wars.

Putting Race Before Standards

Waltz, a combat-decorated Green Beret who served more than 26 years in the U.S. Army, revealed that a seminar titled “How to Cope with your Whiteness and White Rage” was being taught at West Point. He expressed concern that recruits were being taught that the flag they signed up to die for is inherently bad, misogynistic, racist, and colonialist. Hunt, a former Apache helicopter pilot, added that race should not be a factor when it comes to defending the United States.

Lt. Col. Stu Scheller, who was discharged in December 2021 after appearing in viral videos speaking out against political and military leaders’ handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, also noted that “wokeism” in the military is creating inequality of opportunity. He explained how he saw the push to create more diversity of race among combat officers despite the soldiers’ expressed desires. “Equality, so the critical race theory, just assuming that the system is inherently racist, is shortsighted,” he said.

Waltz agreed, saying servicemen and servicewomen should be placed in positions based on standards and ability to perform a task. “It’s about standards. Not about gender, race, or religion. This is the standard to be a Marine, the standard to be an Air Force pilot or Green Beret. That’s it. Either you meet the standard, or you don’t. That should be the military’s sole objective,” Waltz said.

Shared Sacrifice for a Cause Bigger

Waltz added that national service could help bring people together and focus on a cause bigger than themselves. “Whether you’re a farm boy from Indiana, or inner-city Detroit, or wherever, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, you’re all forced together. That’s why I think we have to get back to national service, some shared sacrifice for a cause bigger, and then the only color you’re worried about is red, white, blue because you’re all Americans serving a cause bigger than yourself.”

Military Effectiveness and Readiness

Capt. Jason Church, who has retired from the Army, explained that another soldier’s race did not matter to him while he was wounded on the battlefield. “If we’re prioritizing politics over military effectiveness and readiness, we will lose the next war,” he said. “When we look at this over time, it also reduces America’s abilities to fight and win wars. If you have people dying on the battlefield and forces losing the ability to project power, that’s how an enemy like China or Russia beats us.”

The military’s primary objective should be military effectiveness and readiness, not politics or social values. Standards should be the sole basis for placing servicemen and servicewomen in positions, regardless of their gender, race, or religion. National service could help bring people together and focus on a cause bigger than themselves, and ultimately, prioritize military effectiveness and readiness to win wars.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER