Shawn Skelly left the military in 2008, thinking sHE’d never return; now sHE’s in charge of getting U.S. forces ready for battle.
“It is ironic ASD Skelly is responsible for readiness for the entire DoD.”—LT General Thomas Spoehr, US Army (ret)
Shawn Skelly was a Navy commander working to help fend off roadside bomb attacks when sHE came to a realization about herself — one that meant HEr career in the military was over.
It was 2006, and “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which permitted gay and lesbian Americans to serve in the military as long as they kept their sexual identity under wraps, was still in effect. Skelly had identified as a man up until that point and — now that sHE felt she could no longer do so — decided to retire from military service as soon as possible.
Skelly, then stationed at a Marine Corps base in Virginia, told her commanding general she was out.
“I had fear at that time,” Skelly said in an interview. “I determined quickly that I needed to get out, get out safely, because I understood what I needed to do to be the best, healthiest version of myself.” It took two years for her to make the leap, and she left in 2008.
Now she’s back at the Pentagon, this time as a civilian. As assistant secretary of defense for readiness, Skelly oversees military preparedness for warfighting, including training programs, equipment safety and munitions supplies. . . . .
. . . . . She is the DoD’s highest-ranking openly transgender official, and the second to hold an office that requires Senate confirmation. The first was Rachel Levine, who serves as assistant secretary of health.
Skelly’s appointment was welcomed as a powerful signal of support by transgender troops now serving openly since President Joe Biden overturned a Trump-era ban on trans service members.
But Republicans in Congress are looking to roll back those changes through proposed legislation to ban transgender people from serving in the military.
It’s part of a larger push by some Republican lawmakers who argue that personnel policies like diversity trainings, racial justice education and events like a recent drag show on a military base alienate some potential recruits and distract from the forces’ main mission: fighting wars and protecting the homefront.
“When I talk to people and say, ‘Well, why aren’t you looking to join the military?’ A lot of them say, ‘Well, the military has been over-politicized. Well, the military has gone woke,’ said Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) during a March 9 hearing with the military’s senior enlisted leadership. “We’re saying that this new focus, this new shift, this new kind of woke ideology is not impacting recruitment and not impacting our readiness and lethality? I have a hard time believing that.” . . . . . (read more on Politico)
SHAWN G. SKELLY
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness
Shawn G. Skelly was confirmed by the Senate to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness on July 22, 2021. She is the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)) on all matters related to the readiness of the Total Force.
In that capacity, she develops policies and plans, provides advice, and makes recommendations for Total Force Readiness programs, reporting, and assessments of readiness to execute the National Defense Strategy.
Ms. Skelly advises the Secretary of Defense on the strategic and operational readiness of the Armed Forces, and develops and oversees policies and programs to ensure their readiness for peacetime contingencies, crises, and warfighting.
She supervises the comprehensive, enterprise-wide readiness system that measures the capability of the armed forces to carry out the National Defense Strategy, and develops tools to provide strategic and predictive readiness analysis.
She also maintains policy and oversight of Military Service and joint training and education, including training systems and technologies, joint exercises, professional military education, and learning technologies.
Additionally, Ms. Skelly serves as the DoD Designated Agency Safety and Health Official, responsible for integrated assessment and reporting of safety and occupational health issues, trend analysis, and mishap and accident reduction and mitigation activities.
Ms. Skelly served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for 20 years as a Naval Flight Officer, retiring with the rank of Commander. After a period in industry with ITT Exelis, she joined the Obama Administration in 2013, first serving as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics at the U.S. Department of Defense, and ultimately as the Director of the Office of the Executive Secretariat at the U.S. Department of Transportation. In 2017, President Obama appointed her to serve as a Commissioner on the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, which delivered its final report to Congress, Inspired to Serve, in March of 2020. Ms. Skelly is also a Co-Founder and former Vice President of Out in National Security, formerly served on the Atlantic Council’s LGBTI Advisory Council, and was a member of the Service Year Alliance Leadership Council.
Ms. Skelly received a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
See also: Biden’s New Policy on Transgender Troops Will Weaken Our Military (LTG Thomas Spoehr, Heritage Foundation, 14 Apr 21)
Key takeaways:
- The facts show that thrusting individuals with gender dysphoria into a stressful military environment would have devastating consequences.
- Permitting them to serve also violates the principle of not placing individuals at greater risk of injury in harm’s way.
- This policy will weaken the U.S. military and signal to our enemies that the force is more concerned with political correctness than in challenging our adversaries.
Change to Military Transgender Policy Opts for Political Correctness Over Military Readiness (LTG Thomas Spoehr, Heritage Foundation, 26 Jan 21)
The Biden Administration’s decision to change U.S. military policy and allow unrestricted service by transgender individuals—without regard to whether they suffer from gender dysphoria—will result in a direct negative impact on military readiness linked to service members who are less able to deploy and perform their individual missions. The decision also directly exposes individuals who are at higher risk from mental injury to increased stress and danger. Congress should examine the underlying facts and rationale behind the executive branch’s decision.
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