The US Military Is Losing the Woke War

The United States Armed Forces exist for two primary missions: to prevent war and to decisively win if war breaks out.  The Department of Defense’s name is significant: The mission of the Pentagon and all uniformed service members—and civilians—is the defense of the United States of America.  All other military activities and programs are ancillary to this mission.

Over the last two years, the U.S. military has lost its way due largely to the senior military leaders in the building where I used to work, aided and abetted by civilian appointees and officials in the Biden Administration.  This is not a criticism of the rank-and-file members of the military.  They are a courageous lot and understand what selfless service means.

But at the highest levels of military leadership, it is a political game with political appointees—both the civilian leaders and the 4-star flag officers (generals and admirals) in the five-sided building.  Their willingness to parrot the priorities of the Left-leaning Biden White House is rather amazing.  While Pentagon senior leaders have always been political appointees and civilian control of the military is embedded in our constitutional republic, in the past, there was a tradition of the leadership guarding their integrity, giving candid advice irrespective of who was the President, and being as apolitical as possible.  Alas, this is not the case today.

One disturbing example is the epidemic of wokeness infecting the U.S. Armed Forces in the form of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training, which is impacting recruiting and military readiness.  As a result, our ability to fight and win wars is negatively impacted by misplaced priorities.  And it is unnecessary because the fruit of identity politics, DEI training, is incredibly divisive in a force that is normally quite united.

The U.S. military has a well-deserved reputation for already being diverse and inclusive.  The military was racially integrated in 1948—long before any civil rights legislation was passed.  I served on the Diversity Commission at the Pentagon.  I know firsthand that race, gender, and other personal distinctions do not matter in the U.S. military, which is something of which to be proud. For example, in my 26 years in the military, if someone wanted to end their career prematurely, they merely needed to express or exhibit sexism—it was not tolerated.  In fact, I served under both courageous and capable female and male officers. For all of its racial, ethnic, gender, and other diverse makeup, the U.S. Armed Forces are incredibly united.  There is a loyalty to one another that is remarkable.

Therefore, it is disturbing and an insult to those who serve to hear senior leaders speak of radicalism in the ranks or to assume that the military is systemically racist or sexist. Rather, the military could teach the civilian world a lot about diversity and inclusion because they are professionals and experts on the topics. As Sen. Roger Wicker (MS) recently said, “In truth, the military is the greatest civil rights program in the history of the world.”

However, there is a difference between equity and equality.  Equality emphasizes fair and equal opportunity; everyone has the right to compete, excel, and be promoted.  Equity doesn’t emphasize equal opportunity—but equal results.  It is manipulating the force, the military equivalent of everyone getting a trophy. It is the inverse of the meritocracy that is the hallmark of a capable military force.  Equity is a morale and readiness-killer and has no place in the military.  You want the brightest and best at every level of the armed forces, from an infantry squad to the offices on the E-ring of the Pentagon.  It is not always equitable because people have different capabilities and gifts—but it is fair and equal.  Our national security depends on it.

While next year’s defense budget is the largest in history, the military is actually facing a budget cut due to rampant inflation.  Yet President Biden requested $150 million in the Pentagon’s proposed budget for dedicated diversity and inclusion activities.  Job openings this year for DEI coordinators can pay up to $183,500 annually—a figure that officers and enlisted personnel could not even dream of making.  It is emblematic of not understanding the culture and ethos of our fighting forces and of misplaced priorities.

Every military branch has an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  And every branch of the military, except the Marine Corps, is not meeting its recruiting goals—even after lowering the goals for this fiscal year.  This is a fact despite Acting Under Secretary of the Air Force Kristyn Jones stating that diversity and equity improve retention rates.  Under Secretary of the Navy Erik Raven told the Senate Armed Services Committee—regarding recruiting challenges—that DEI training is critical for “warfighting capability.”  With all due respect, Raven is an academic who has never served in the military.  It’s hard to take seriously one who speaks of the theories about warfighting capability when they have never been in the military or in a war.

In actuality, DEI training is indeed negatively affecting recruitment and warfighting capability.  The Chinese Communists and the Russians—to say nothing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—will not be dissuaded from their aggression because we emphasize equity and inclusion in our armed forces. This is especially true of armed forces that are having difficulty even enticing people to join.

Unless there is serious reevaluation and midcourse corrections, the United States military will lose this war—the Woke War.  And it will impact our ability to fight and win in a real war when the time comes. And that time will surely come.

Support the work of the ACLJ as we continue to bring you expert analysis and legal action on the issues that matter most.