{"id":2226972,"date":"2024-04-22T09:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-decry-u-s-militarys-drift-to-dei-culture\/"},"modified":"2024-04-22T09:11:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:11:09","slug":"lawmakers-decry-u-s-militarys-drift-to-dei-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawmakers-decry-u-s-militarys-drift-to-dei-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers criticize U.S. military&#8217;s shift towards DEI culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/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%2Flawmakers-decry-u-s-militarys-drift-to-dei-culture%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=2226972&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--><p>The U.S. military&#8217;s increasing focus on DEI initiatives\u200d has sparked criticism from lawmakers. Concerns\u200b over prioritizing diversity over national security \u200dhave emerged, with calls for a return to core military\u2063 readiness \u200dvalues. Lawmakers argue that excessive emphasis on DEI may compromise the\u2063 military&#8217;s strength and readiness to face global threats effectively. The U.S.\u2063 military&#8217;s shift\u200c towards DEI initiatives faces backlash from lawmakers, \u200cwho fear it may overshadow national security priorities. Emphasizing diversity over core military preparedness \u200draises concerns about its impact on\u2062 combat readiness.\u200d Lawmakers stress the \u200bimportance\u200c of maintaining a balance to ensure optimal \u2062strength in addressing\u200b global threats.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>(The Center Square) \u2013 The U.S. military\u2019s ongoing embrace of the far-left culture war has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-attorney-may-be-limited-in-defense-after-texts-with-stormy-daniels-handed-over-to-district-attorney-report\/\" title=\"Trump attorney may be limited in defense after texts with Stormy Daniels handed over to district attorney: Report\">drawn increased attention<\/a> and ire from lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Pentagon officials waving off concerns, a steady stream of evidence has shown that the most progressive ideas on race, gender and sexuality have become the norm, in particular within the administrative parts of the U.S. military.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Biden Administration has made implementing woke Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives a more important mission than protecting Americans,\u201d U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., told The Center Square. \u201cOur military is strongest when it is focused on training patriotic men and women to become the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kathleen-j-anderson-biden-defense-spox-john-kirby-denies-wokeness-hurting-military-recruitment-hes-wrong\/\" title=\"Kathleen J. Anderson: Biden Defense Spox John Kirby Denies \u2018Wokeness\u2019 Hurting Military Recruitment. He\u2019s Wrong\">lethal fighting force<\/a> in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In one recent example roundly mocked by critics, the U.S. Department of Defense called diversity a \u201cstrategic imperative\u201d in a post on X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDiversity is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-department-says-diversity-is-a-strategic-imperative\/\" title=\"Defense Department Says Diversity Is a \"Strategic Imperative\"\">strategic imperative critical<\/a> to mission readiness and accomplishment,\u201d the February post said. \u201cWe were on site for the 2023 inaugural @DoD_ODEI Summit as DEIA experts led forums to advance the DEIA and DoD mission \u2013 because our people matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon has prioritized equity and diversity in hiring, promotion and recruitment and expanded roles specifically focused not on military readiness, but diversity.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers argue the DEI focus is a wasteful distraction at best and dangerous at worst.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur U.S. Department of Defense must be solely focused on strengthening our military to counter and deter against all threats in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-look-at-international-law-and-the-invasion-of-ukraine\/\" title=\"A Look at International Law and the Invasion of Ukraine\">increasingly dangerous world<\/a>,\u201d U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told The Center Square. \u201cEmbracing woke culture rhetoric only makes our military appear unserious to our adversaries, especially China.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this month raising concerns about the emphasis on DEI during his tenure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoD has made the outlandish claim that diversity is a \u2018strategic imperative critical to mission readiness and accomplishment\u2019 and argued that leveraging strategic diversity is the \u2018the only way DoD will be able to outthink, outmaneuver, and outfight any adversary or threat,\u2019\u201d the letter said. \u201cThe White House\u2019s Office of Management and Budget made the similarly unsupported allegation that numerous provisions in the House version of the FY24 NDAA aimed at eliminating or scaling back DEI positions and programs at DoD would put our military \u2018at a strategic disadvantage.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, Austin enacted a plan called \u201cStand-Down to AddressExtremism in the Ranks,\u201d which was an extensive study and use of federal resources only to find that \u201cno evidence that the number of violent extremists in the military is disproportionate to the number of violent extremists in the United States as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, as the letter points out, the Pentagon created the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, yet another administrative equity effort.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEach of the services have promoted diversity with similar overenthusiasm and disregard for taxpayers,\u201d the letter said. \u201cFor example, the U.S. Air Force created a SAF\/DI DEIA Progress Dashboard to evaluate its progress towards achieving diversity goals, the Secretary of the Navy issued a memorandum directing the Chief of Naval Operations to take six immediate actions to advanceDEI, and the U.S. Army published a detailed diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility implementation plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And those policies come with significant spending of taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite the hiring freeze and a budget cap, the Department has inexplicably requested $162 million for DEI initiatives in Fiscal Year 2025,\u201d the letter continued. \u201cBefore Congress spends any more of Americans\u2019 tax dollars on these programs, I believe that the Office of Secretary of Defense must demonstrate their value.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rubio\u2019s office released a report in 2022 with U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on the role of DEI in the military laying out several examples that illustrate a larger trend.<\/p>\n<p>In one case, as The Center Square previously reported, a slide show for the Air Force Academy cadets entitled, \u201cDiversity &#038; Inclusion: What it is, why we care, &#038; what we can do,\u201d cautions cadets to avoid using gendered language such as terms like \u201cdad\u201d and \u201cmom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In another case, training West Point cadets were lectured on white privilege.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff defended teaching CRT at U.S. Service Academies and testified to Congress about his desire to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/james-bowman-how-not-to-unify-the-country\/\" title=\"James Bowman: How Not to Unify the Country\">understand \u2018white rage<\/a>,\u2019\u201d the report said. \u201cHe argued that American taxpayer money should be spent to ensure cadets and midshipmen learn what \u2018caused thousands of people to assault [the Capitol] Building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States.\u2019 The Biden Administration is choosing to focus on and fund the study of racial extremism even when \u2013 as the [\u201cCountering Extremist Activity Working Group] showed \u2013 it is a virtual non-issue in the military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Critics point out the push to DEI is part of a larger effort across the entire federal government.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mike Gonzalez of the Heritage Foundation argued the DEI ideas \u201chave harmed military recruitment, put us at a disadvantage against our military rivals or commercial competitors, and have been shown not to work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile we see some private corporations trying to walk away from DEI and banks trying to discreetly put ESG behind them \u2013 because these practices have proved divisive and money losing \u2013 the Biden Administration has continued to embrace DEI with both hands,\u201d Gonzalez told The Center Square. \u201cThe reason? The people around the President and in key places throughout the administration are either committed ideologically to these \u200btheories, or they think that they must politically pander to the woke minority if they have a hope of winning in November.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the U.S. military&#8217;s adoption of far-left cultural ideologies, sparking criticism and scrutiny. Pentagon officials downplay worries, but mounting evidence suggests a prevailing acceptance of progressive views on race, gender, and sexuality, especially evident in administrative sectors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2226973,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1398057113-1024x681.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2226972","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1398057113-1024x681.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226972","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2226972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2226973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2226972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2226972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2226972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}