{"id":1978522,"date":"2023-07-20T14:07:01","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T18:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-admiral-and-veterans-group-respond-to-desantis-promises-for-big-changes-in-military\/"},"modified":"2023-07-20T14:09:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T18:09:34","slug":"in-depth-admiral-and-veterans-group-respond-to-desantis-promises-for-big-changes-in-military","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-admiral-and-veterans-group-respond-to-desantis-promises-for-big-changes-in-military\/","title":{"rendered":"Admiral and Veterans Group React to DeSantis&#8217; Pledge for Military Overhaul."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fin-depth-admiral-and-veterans-group-respond-to-desantis-promises-for-big-changes-in-military%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1978522&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"post_content\">\n<h2>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Promises &#8220;Big Changes&#8221; in the Military<\/h2>\n<p>Florida Gov. \u2063Ron DeSantis is promising \u2064\u201cbig changes\u201d in\u200b the military if he\u2019s elected president. In \u200cresponse, a \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/awkward-white-house-reporter-asks-john-kirby-whether-he-is-second-press-secretary-there-to-undermine-jean-pierre\/\" title=\"Awkward: White House Reporter Asks John Kirby Whether He Is \u2018Second Press Secretary,\u2019 There To \u2018Undermine\u2019 Jean-Pierre\">retired rear admiral<\/a> and the leader of a veterans organization share their thoughts on which GOP candidate is best qualified to accomplish those changes.<\/p>\n<p>At a campaign event in Columbia, South Carolina,\u200b on July 18, Mr. DeSantis revealed his \u201cMission First\u201d proposal, vowing\u200b to eliminate harmful social policies from the U.S. military\u200c and \u2064to \u201ctake very swift action to right the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. DeSantis is among the 10 challengers facing off against former president and Republican front runner Donald Trump to become the GOP\u2019s nominee for\u200c president. The other candidates are former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, \u200dformer Arkansas\u2064 Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris \u200cChristie, \u200cformer Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, political \u2062commentator Larry Elder, businessman\u200b Perry Johnson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.<\/p>\n<p>During a July 6\u200d appearance on \u2062\u201cThe Chris Salcedo Show\u201d on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsmaxtv.com\/Shows\/The-Chris-Salcedo-Show\/vid\/1_5zhm846m\">Newsmax<\/a>, Mr. DeSantis, a former naval attorney, said \u2062he has members of the military coming up to \u2064him \u201call the time\u201d saying they don\u2019t want their children or \u200cgrandchildren to \u2063\u201cjoin today\u2019s military\u201d\u200d because it has \u201cbecome a petri \u2063dish for social experimentation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re putting\u2064 political fads over military\u2062 readiness,\u201d \u2064Mr. DeSantis \u200csaid, vowing to \u201crip the\u200d woke out on Day One,\u201d\u200d and to bring \u201cmajor\u200c changes \u200din all the armed services\u201d if he becomes president.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVeterans around the country will rally to that,\u201d he predicted.<\/p>\n<h3>DeSantis and the Military<\/h3>\n<p>Unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. DeSantis has an enlisted military background.<\/p>\n<p>In 2004, Mr. DeSantis, a Yale \u200bgraduate, joined the U.S. Navy where he earned the rank of lieutenant and became an officer in the Judge Advocate General\u2019s\u200c Corps. He received his law degree at Harvard University in 2005.<\/p>\n<p>As governor, Mr. DeSantis has done\u2064 much for the military \u200bin Florida.<\/p>\n<p>On June 9, 2022, he signed six bills in support of Florida\u2019s veterans, military members, and family members in finding jobs and securing educational opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>On May 26 of this year, Mr. DeSantis signed an additional 10 measures.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, \u2063Florida ranked sixth in the nation for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nearly-7-in-10-active-duty-military-members-say-pentagon-is-politicized-under-biden\/\" title=\"Nearly 7 in 10 Active Duty Military Members Say Pentagon Is Politicized Under Biden\">active duty military members<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/232722\/geographic-stationing-of-active-duty-us-defense-force-personnel-by-state\/\">Statista<\/a> reported. In 2019, it had the third highest veteran population in the country, and the state has been a top source of military recruits in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. DeSantis also promised \u201cbig changes\u201d for the military during a prior Memorial Day appearance\u200b on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/ron-desantis-navy-career-warns-military-different\">Fox News<\/a>, saying \u201cthe military I see is \u2063different from the military I served in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u200c see a lot of emphasis now on political ideologies, things like gender pronouns,\u201d he said, attributing\u2063 the plummeting recruitment numbers and low morale\u200c to \u200dthe \u200cintroduction of \u200ddiversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.<\/p>\n<p>On \u2063Jan. 25, 2021, Mr. Biden signed an \u200dexecutive order enabling \u201call qualified Americans to \u200cserve their country in uniform,\u201d saying \u201cgender identity should not be a\u2063 bar to military service.\u201d Two months later, the Pentagon announced new policies (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esd.whs.mil\/Portals\/54\/Documents\/DD\/issuances\/dodi\/130028p.pdf?fbclid=IwAR04MlJmexeVCxVi8RBXPuaj_udFOMgyLfg3nw0D9QCKdcDpzXP14Ic7Al8\">pdf<\/a>) that canceled the Trump-era policy banning transgender people from\u200c serving in the military.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018Meritocracy\u2019 Versus \u2018Quota System\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Retired Rear Adm. Charles R. Kubic agrees that the \u201cwokeism\u201d in the military has to go.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5408979\" style=\"width: 249px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/07\/19\/id5408979-Kubic3-1.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a>  Retired \u200bRear Adm. Charles R. \u200bKubic. (Courtesy of retired Rear Adm. Charles R. \u2063Kubic)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s \u2064the\u2062 whole DEI program and the whole issue of CRT and other things that are finding \u200dtheir way into military training,\u201d Mr.\u200d Kubic told The Epoch Times, noting\u2064 how the new \u2064system of selection and promotion within the military structure is \u201cmoving away from meritocracy towards more\u200b of a\u2062 quota \u200csystem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Critical race theory (CRT) is a quasi-Marxist framework that views the United States as systemically\u2063 racist and divides people into \u200cthe role of oppressed and oppressor.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Kubic once served \u200cas one of Mr. Trump\u2019s top foreign policy\u2064 advisers.<\/p>\n<p>In a May 20 letter to U.S. House leadership (<a href=\"https:\/\/img1.wsimg.com\/blobby\/go\/fb7c7bd8-097d-4e2f-8f12-3442d151b57d\/DEI%20letter%20May%2020%20final.pdf\">pdf<\/a>), \u2063Mr. \u200dKubic and over\u200d 160 retired generals and admirals asked Congress to \u201ctake legislative action\u201d to remove all DEI\u200c programs from the Department of Defense and to \u201censure\u2063 no DEI-related policies, programs, and funding are included\u2063 in the 2024 [National Defense Authorization Act].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The National \u2062Defense Authorization Act for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-admiral-and-veterans-group-respond-to-desantis-promises-for-big-changes-in-military\/\" title=\"Admiral and Veterans Group React to DeSantis' Pledge for Military Overhaul.\">fiscal year 2024 narrowly\u200b passed<\/a> in Congress \u200bon July 14 by a vote margin of 219\u2013210.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s always been an \u2018affirmative action\u2019 look \u2062in\u200d promotion boards for the\u200d past 30 years or so,\u201d Mr. Kubic said. \u201cBut we\u2019re proceeding into an area where the whole idea of DEI and quality\u200d of outcome rather than opportunity has infiltrated into both the\u2062 promotion and the assignment system.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Legacy Military Service\u200d Discouraged<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5409720\" style=\"width: 278px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/07\/19\/id5409720-Secretary-of-the-Army-Christine-Wormuth.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a>  Secretary \u2064of the Army Christine Wormuth. (U.S. Department of Defense)<\/figure>\n<p>Mr. Kubic noted how Secretary of the \u200cArmy Christine \u2064Wormuth, a civilian official within the Department of Defense, \u201chas \u2063come out with a policy that\u2063 is not in the best interest of the \u200bArmy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As reported on July 10 by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontpagemag.com\/bidens-army-secretary-doesnt-want-2nd-gen-military-recruits-for-fear-of-a-warrior-caste\/\">Front\u2063 Page Magazine<\/a>, Ms. Wormuth is pushing Congress to enact a policy that would bar recruits whose family members have served in the military for generations from entering military \u200cservice.<\/p>\n<p>She fears that such recruits will create a \u201cwarrior caste.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Ms. Wormuth\u200c boasted that \u201cthe Army is also on track to meet its directed level of 5,800 officer commissions while \u2062increasing diversity \u200crepresentation within the \u2063combat arms branches,\u201d the Army missed its 2022 recruitment goal\u200c by 15,000 soldiers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2022\/10\/02\/army-misses-recruiting-goal-by-15000-soldiers\/\">Army Times<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>All branches of the military are failing in their recruitment goals.<\/p>\n<p>Over \u200dtwo dozen \u200bmembers of the military \u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/in-depth-military-families-no-longer-want-their-children-to-enlist_5402430.html\">reached out to The Epoch \u200dTimes<\/a> in a recent \u2063report to say they\u2019re now discouraging their\u200d children from \u200benlisting, closing the door on what has become a family legacy for some. \u200dAmong their reasons are \u2064progressive social \u200dpolicies and distrust in leadership.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5408984\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/07\/19\/id5408984-AdmiralKubic2.jpg\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a>  Retired Rear Admiral Charles R. Kubic (front R), \u2063former Commander of\u200b Navy Seabee Division during\u200c Operation Iraqi Freedom\u2063 1 and 2. (Courtesy \u2062of retired Rear Admiral Charles R. Kubic)<\/figure>\n<p>Mr. Kubic said \u200cthere\u2019s a systemic \u201clack of confidence\u2064 in command \u2063at the operational and tactical level within the military\u201d because of what they see as \u200c\u201ca cultural \u200bwar against the ethos of the\u2062 war-fighting military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow many people are just tired of all \u200bthe\u200c political\u200d pressure that\u2019s coming on them to live within this new woke culture?\u201d he asked, \u200binsisting that the whole premise of woke ideology \u201cjust doesn\u2019t \u2063mesh with the ethos we need to have war-fighting units within our military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s a big problem,\u201d Mr. Kubic asserted. \u201cHopefully our\u200c next commander-in-chief will fix that, including who he or she will appoint to\u2062 various positions\u2063 within the political civilian bureaucracy within the military.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018We Will Have to Reinstitute a Draft\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Mr. Kubic agrees with Mr. \u200dDeSantis that the morale issue in the military\u2063 is \u201ca big problem right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn\u2063 fact, it\u2019s such \u2062a problem that I think at some point and \u200btime someone is going to have to come out \u2064and point out that if\u200d the Army can\u2019t meet its recruiting totals, we will have to reinstitute a draft.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also suggests that \u201ca draft will require \u2062both men and women to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If \u2064the United States suffers a national emergency or enters a war that can\u2019t be supported by the\u2064 current all-volunteer \u200bmilitary, the president and\u200c Congress have the authority to reinstate the draft and to force citizens to serve in the military.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a pretty\u200c drastic step,\u201d Mr. Kubic\u2064 conceded.<\/p>\n<p>Another challenge the United States is facing is \u201cthe declining population of Americans who \u2062are\u200c physically,\u200c mentally, and emotionally fit to serve in the military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Dec. 18, 2020, then-acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller announced the \u201cRecommendations to Improve Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Inclusion in the U.S. Military\u201d by the Department of Defense Board on Diversity and \u200bInclusion.<\/p>\n<p>Among the\u2064 15 recommendations was the \u2062suggestion to \u201cremove aptitude test barriers \u2064that adversely impact diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe next commander-in-chief and the person appointed to serve as secretary are going to\u200b have to deal with it,\u201d Mr. Kubic proposed. \u201cThe \u200bway it\u2019s happening \u2064now is it\u2019s a reflection of the \u2018woke\u2019 culture that DeSantis wants to rip out and equally former\u200b President Trump. I think many of the other candidates would\u200d follow suit because it has to\u2064 stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>DeSantis as \u2018Establishment\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>Over 230 retired\u200d senior military officials have endorsed Mr. Trump in his reelection campaign\u2064 in a\u2064 joint letter.<\/p>\n<p>Stan Fitzgerald, a \u200bretired police detective,&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vows &#8220;major military reforms&#8221; if elected president. A retired rear admiral and veterans group leader weigh in on the most capable GOP candidate to achieve these changes. DeSantis discussed his plans during a campaign event in Columbia, SC, on July 18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":1978523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1978522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1978522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1978522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1978523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1978522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1978522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1978522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}