(Heritage Foundation) The Biden administration has imposed an unprecedented dogma on federal employees, from Delta Force to the Department of Transportation. They can refuse only at cost to their careers. This must stop.
In addition to wishing to serve the public, uniformed and civilian officers desire promotion and recognition. That usually entails trying to please their leaders. While institutions may advocate speaking truth to power, everyone in them knows you do so at the potential price of promotion. That’s why heterodox heroes like the real Gen. George Patton, or Top Gun’s fictional Pete “Maverick” Mitchell often don’t get to the very top. That’s also why Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seems to believe the military is rife with extremism, despite an exhaustive report that concluded that “extremist activity within the Department of Defense is rare.”
The U.S. military and federal agencies’ sharp left turn into woke ideology under President Biden has diverted limited training capacity without proof of benefit. Even the U.S. Special Operations Command now has a Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan which asserts that “diversity and inclusion are operational imperatives.” Really? As much as shooting straight and being tough as nails? Tell it to the Marines—no, wait, they’re writing one too.
Let’s be frank: as retired Army Brig. Gen. Ernie Audino writes, “diversity is not a national security imperative,” it’s a socio-political goal. Statements like “systemic inequality is a national security threat” (from the State Department’s Strategic Plan) or “it is a critical national security imperative to attain diversity with the officer corps” (Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar) are rhetorical aspirations, asserted without proof. The armies of China or Ukraine are no weaker for their lack of diversity. Training and morale are far more important, which is why Ukraine is doing so well against far bigger Russia. . . . (read the rest)
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