How Did the Military Fall Off the Cliff and What to Do About It

By Lt General Marvin L. Covault, US Army, retired
From his We the People Speaking blog

BACKGROUND:

While campaigning in 2016, Hillery Clinton poisoned the water with her prepared hate message declaring:

“You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables; the racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it.”

With that, she falsely and carelessly indicted tens of millions of Americans.Half of his supporters at that time would have been in the 35 to40 million range. That’s a lot of folks to insult without one piece of evidence to back it up. Pretty stupid actually. But it opened the door for the democrat leadership to pursue stupid.

Thereafter it has been OK for the democrats to routinely, ignorantly lump tens of millions of Americans into despicable categories, “racist” and “white supremacist” being the most common descriptors.

September, 2022 in an address to the nation President Biden declared, “the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” That elevated the number insulted, again without a shred of evidence, to around 70 million. Doubled the stupid.

Biden went on to compare Republican ideology to “semi-fascism.” Can he even define what semi-fascism is? Fascist: “a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader.” There is no definition for semi-fascist.

Segregation is most egregious form of discrimination by published policy, defining where you can live, sit on a bus, shop, eat or go to school. Biden, speaking to Black leaders gathered at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, drew a parallel between MAGA Republicans and segregationists in the 1950s who tried to prevent Black and white Americans from going to school together. Has Biden conveniently forgotten that segregation was an underpinning of the Democrat party, particularly in the South, for 99 years until outlawed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Biden is of an age to recall democrat, George Wallace’s “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” speech given at his 1963 inauguration as Alabama’s Governor.

During his 2020 campaign Biden declared, “rooting out systemic racism in this country” is one of my top priorities.” Systemic defined: relating to or affecting the entire body or an entire organism.

The question is, where has all these insane unsubstantiated accusations led us? The Left wing of the Democrat party concluded that this could all be solved by systemically (see definition in previous paragraph) institutionalizing diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI, into every facet of our lives; education, industry, politics, society in general, etc. In retrospect perhaps we can now conclude this woke DEI move by the left could be labeled, adding insult to injury.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF DEI ON AMERICA?

Once inaugurated, Biden directed the leaders of every Department and agency in the Executive Branch to make diversity, equity and inclusion, DEI, a priority within their management agendas, and thy were given 100 days to assess the state of DEI within their own workforces and associated policies. From that assessment, they were to move forward with implementing agendas. Additionally, each organization was to hire a DEI czar with a staff reporting directly to the Department leader.

PUTTING THE IMPACT OF DEI INTO NATIONAL SECURITY PERSPECTIVES:

The President’s job description can easily be broken down as follows:

Leader of the American people
Leader of the U.S. Executive Branch of Government
At times, considered “Leader of the free world”
And, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Military.

As Commander in Chief, the president’s relationship with DOD, as an organization requires a different mindset. The U.S. Military, consisting of 2.1 million uniformed men and women as of end FY2023, is an organization unlike any others, for example:

It is in a constant state of turnover with hundreds of thousands of new enlistees and departees per year.
It is in constant motion. Nearly all of its active-duty members will be reassigned with a permanent-change-of-station move within every 3-year period.
Unlike any other organization its mission is to be the best in the world at deterring or, if necessary, destroying enemy forces anywhere in the world.
The U.S. Army, in particular, is defined by its task’s to be performed. Furthermore, for every single task there are defined conditions and for each combination of task/condition there is a defined standard. There are “Individual” task/condition/standards for every person as well as “collective” task/condition/standards for every leader.

(I will speak to the Army situation as that was my service for 32 years}?

ONE SIZE FITS ALL APPROACH: (a look at DEI)

The U.S. military is not the Department of Transportation but Commander in Chief Biden obviously doesn’t realize or understand the ramifications of treating the military with the one-size-fits-all DEI Executive Order. For example:

DIVERSITY:

Diversity is defined as “The presence of differences within a given setting. In the workplace, that can mean differences in race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age and socioeconomic class.”

Any American who can pass the entrance exam, is a high school graduate, is not a criminal, is physically fit and of a proper age and shows up at a recruiting station can get “hired.” None of the “diversity” elements are even considered. The U.S. Military is naturally a cross-section of America.

While the military is already the quintessential diverse organization, the problem with DEI is that the diversity process of counting and identifying the numbers of individuals in each diversity category (race, ethnicity, gender, etc.} is the first step in splitting the organization into identity groups and then treating them differently. This is a complete anathema to any military organization and becomes a barrier to everything the military seeks to achieve. Anathema defined: A vehement denunciation; a curse

EQUITY:

Equity is the process of ensuring that practices and programs are impartial, fair and provide equal possible outcomes for every individual. Equity takes into account the fact that not everybody is starting at the same level.

Equity as defined above, is pure unadulterated poison for the U.S. Army. Everything that happens from day-one forward keys off of a designated standard that ensures every single person clearly understands they have an equal opportunity to excel. Every day is a be-all-you-can-be day. Some will flunk out and someone will be heralded as the number one graduate. Achieving “equal outcomes for every individual” is a road block to establishment of an organization-wide culture of meritocracy in every individual and/or team endeavor.

“Equity” implies that individuals will be treated differently because, “everyone is not starting at the same level.” Certainly, they are not all at the same level on day one; isn’t that part of the diversity? Isn’t that, in and of itself discriminatory? Rather than trying to implement equity gobbledygook, isn’t the point to simply challenge everyone to be-all-they-can-be given whatever they bring to the organization?

The Equity folks tell us limitations (not starting at the same level) are what, “define barriers and give rise to advantages, ultimately leading to an inequitable process.” NO, everyone starting at the same square-one and encouraged to be-all-they-can-be every day actually ends up defining the organization. it is the beginning of a diverse, meritocracy-based organization, something the DEI folks simply do not understand.

INCLUSION:

Inclusion in the U.S. Army that grows in every individual as they accept the daily dose of an all-important, all-consuming culture of Accountability, Trust and Respect.

Accountability for each soldier being able to meet the standard for every individual and collective task associated with their specialty and their rank and that they have-the-back of their team members on their right and left.

Trust that my team members on my right and left have-my-back as well and are proficient in their job performance.

Respect for my leaders knowing that they got where they are based on their merit, not because of a quota promotion.

The DEI folks will tell you, “Inclusion is about all employees feeling their voices will be heard.” That nonsense is a feel-good thing, it’s an all-about-me thing. It flies directly in the face of being the best team member you can possible be every day and the combination of all that collectively creates, maintains and sustains an unbeatable force.

BACK TO BIDEN’S ECECUTIVE ORDER:

The DEI Executive Order was issued 25 June, 2021. It is important to note that he was acting in his role a leader of the Executive Branch of government. He was obviously NOT acting as the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Military. Notwithstanding Biden’s error, the new Secretary of the Department of Defense, General, Lloyd Austin, U.S. Army retired bought-in to the DEI mess hook-line-and-sinker.

The Executive order directs that every Department create an internal DEI organization headed by a senior civilian who reports directly to the Secretary of Defense, State, Education, Transportation, etc.

HOW IS DEI WORKING OUT?

26 MARCH 2024, the Wall Street Journal published an insightful article; highlights from the piece:

Memo to companies: Go ahead and cancel your DEI programs. That’s more or less the message of a recent report commissioned by the U.K. government finding that diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
The report, presented to Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch by an independent panel, found there’s little evidence DEI efforts have any positive effect on corporate culture.
Definitive claims of what works can be misleading or inconclusive.
It’s hard to say what DEI even means: The terms diversity and inclusion are conceptually ambiguous, rapidly evolving, and often conflated.
U.S. companies spend some $8 billion a year on DEI training.
A legal backlash is gathering momentum.
This is no way to run a company, a government or an economy. Companies profit from diverse and inclusive workplaces, but that’s often the opposite of what DEI programs produce.

TRANS GENDER SOLDIERS:

Trans has become a fact of life in American society. As a slice of Americana, the military will have trans issues. Here is the guidance that needs to be specifically issued by the Commander in Chief to the entirety of the U.S. Military:

If a female declares that she wants to become a man-soldier, fine but two things will not happen. One, the taxpayers will NOT pay for elective surgery of any kind nor the recovery down-time. Second, there will absolutely NOT be revised standards to accommodate his trans status. That restriction includes the existing men’s minimum passing PT test score.

IMPLEMENTATION OF DEI vs THE ACCEPTED U.S. ARMY SYSTEM:

The vast amount of written material, the large staff requirements and the long-term continuous training requirements all associated with DEI are not only disruptive to daily military life but also confusing and difficult to understand and implement.

Compare the following simple situation in a non-DEI Army which is a system fully understood by everyone serving in it.

First of all, it is overlaid by an easy to understand, institutionalized operational culture of accountability, trust and respect.
The daily routine is 100% unquestioned equal opportunity for everyone every day in every endeavor; simple and unquestioned.
Self-motivation comes from understanding that every effort, every accomplishment is driven and graded based on merit and merit alone will define their future recognition and advancement.
This system does not have to be taught, discussed or deconflicted because it is lived every day by every soldier.
A be-all-you-can-be organization encourages and recognizes innovation at every level. Give a soldier a problem and they will seek out a way to get to the objective faster and cheaper with a bigger bang for the buck. In the vast military industrial complex, it is the successful companies which get a prototype in the hands of soldiers as fast as possible to get their assessment and then produce a bigger/smaller, lighter, more deployable, more effective, more efficient system.

WHAT KIND OF MILITARY DO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WANT/DESERVE/NEED?

The morning company PT session is completed. Before being released for breakfast, the First Sergeant announces that everyone will be back in formation in X minutes with their 80-pound rucksack for a cross-country 15-mile movement to contact before breaking for lunch. How is the 5-foot 6-inch 120-pound wanna-be trans man -soldier performing in this training mission? He will likely spend a good portion of the training day in the accompanying ambulance.

Special operations teams will huddle on a morning and one will say, what shall we do this morning? Someone will speak up and say, let’s do fifteen and off they go for a 15-mile run. Because they can. Because they know they need to be at that level of conditioning.

In 1967 in Vietnam, I was well acquainted with a group of about 50 U.S. Army soldier artillerymen. The 1^st Cavalry Division Commander had decided he needed more immediately responsive fire power in that operational area. As a trial-run he had a 155mm howitzer battery (100-pound projectile, range about 10 miles) placed on a mountain top in the Central Highlands, (mountains about like our Appellations Mountains). Everything had to be delivered by helicopters; there were no roads or vehicles. There was a constant resupply of those hundred-pound projectiles that first had to be broken down at the supply pad and then hand carried hundreds of feet to the firing positions. Those 50 soldiers worked 16-18 hours per day, part of which was perimeter security at night. The mission was so successful that it lasted six months. During that period those soldiers never once set foot in a structure, never had a prepared meal, a hot shower or a single day off. That artillery battery never stopped providing fire support to their comrades in arms. Never for a moment as they occupied mountain after mountain for six months.

What’s the point? The Army does not train for that specific mission to move cross county 15 miles with an 80-pound load or to specifically run 15 miles or to work 16–18-hour day for 6 months straight but they train for anything like it in terms of proficiency, dedication, fitness, attitude, team work and staying power.

The point is that something as simple as 100% equal opportunity in a be-all-you-can-be team, constantly graded on merit against fixed standards in a culture of accountability, trust and respect has been and can always be successful. That is if it is not overlayed with the confusion and confliction of something as expensive, useless and damaging as DEI.

CONCLUSIONS:

Wake the hell up America.

This country has never in its history been more vulnerable than it is at this very moment. And our Commander in Chief isn’t. Isn’t the Commander and isn’t the Chief. As the saying goes, “he wouldn’t recognize a soldier if he had one standing on his chest.”

To satisfy the Left’s wokeism, he has squandered away our deterrent capability; our enemies do not fear us and our former allies don’t trust us. We lack the necessary munitions for sustained combat. But, By God we have an active, dedicated, fully-manned and completely uninformed DEI organization dictating our military’s future and ensuring that no one’s feeling’s get hurt along the way.

My wife and I sit on our back porch most evenings watching the horses graze. Our property backs up to the Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty) training areas and for years we could hear the sounds-of-freedom all day and night; the near constant sounds of helicopters, artillery and mortars impacting, the unmistakable chatter of M-60 machine gun and rifle fire.

But not now. I’m assuming the O and M (operations and maintenance) budgets are a fraction of what they should/could be. Routinely about 30% of the Air Force’ planes can’t fly. Navy ship-building is years behind schedule. A China-invades-Taiwan sophisticated computer-generated war game about a year ago revealed that if the U.S. Navy was engaged our ship-to-ship offensive missile stock would be depleted in about a week.

THE NEXT COMMANDER IN CHIEF’S TO-DO LIST:

Immediately put together a crisis plan to restock critical military supplies, weapons and ammunition.
Restock the Strategic Oil Reserves that Biden sold off while trying to lower gas prices before the 2022 elections.
As soon as the new positions are filled, hold a Commander in Chief’s classified meeting at the White House with the following attendees:

Secretary of Defense, Secretaries of all the Military Services, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Military leaders of each of the Military Services, Military Leaders of the 11 Unified Combatant Commands (Indo-Pacific Command, Central Command, European Command, Africa Command, Northern Command, Southern Command, Space Command, Special Operations Command, Strategic Command, Cyber Command and Transportation Command.

At that meeting, cover the information above on DEI.

At that meeting, task the Secretary of Defense to immediately develop, with input from all the attendees, an action plan to rebuild Military readiness and deterrence. That plan is for the Commander in Chief to take to Congress for funding.

At that meeting inform all attendees that their entire DEI staff positions are to be immediately deleted and all aspects of the DEI program are to be immediately shut down forever.

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Marvin L. Covault, Lt Gen US Army, retired, is the author of two books, “Vision to Execution and Fix the Systems“, “Transform America” as well as the author of a blog, WeThePeopleSpeaking.com.

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