By Col. Ron Scott, PhD, USAF ret, USAFA ’73
STARRS President and CEO
Dear Esteemed Flag Officer Classmates,
I hope this holy season finds you well.
Recently, Major General Doug Robertson, PhD (US Army ret), STARRS National Outreach Leader, forwarded an email from a retired Navy Captain (USNA ’63). Here is an excerpt of a message the Navy Captain sent to contacts in several states (bold italics added for emphasis):
“At the risk of being a big nuisance, I thought I’d let you know about something that’s been bugging me lately regarding the U.S. military in general and the USNA in particular (since I have vested interest in the reputation of the latter).
It’s something I’ve been mulling over for a while now, but have only recently felt a need to do something rather than just sit on the sidelines and observe.
While perhaps old news to you, I’ve only recently become aware of what’s happening at the Boat School (and C. Springs and West Point).
In the past I’ve dismissed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives as just another fashionable management scheme, akin to Matrix Management or Sensitivity Training, and that it would disappear as soon as the topic became a little less fashionable and more obviously a waste of resources.
However, recent developments, such as appointing a Chief Diversity Officer and creating a Diversity Peer Educator Program at USNA, and the dropping of Duty, Honor, Country from the West Point Mission statement, have forced me to rethink the matter. Better late than never I suppose.
I confess, I hadn’t looked too deeply into the issue until recently. I assumed that those closer to the situation would prevent any significant degradation within the military.
Yet, that assumption was destroyed when I stumbled upon the STARRS website (www.starrs.us) a couple of days ago. It was an eye-opener, to say the least.
If you haven’t encountered STARRS before, I hope you’ll take a look at their site. The information they’ve compiled paints a troubling picture of the current state of our military, particularly at the service academies.
It’s enough to suggest that our nation’s security is at risk, and I’m trying not to be hyperbolic about this!
There are many articles to consider but what really got my attention was clear evidence of stonewalling on the part of service academy management!
I believe this information should reach a broader audience. The insights provided by STARRS could help our military leaders, Congress, and concerned citizens better understand the dangers of DEI/CRT ideologies that seem to be gaining traction within our armed forces.
I’m picking on you here because I know we share concerns about the state of the nation in general and our military in particular.
I’m considering ways to contribute to spreading awareness about these issues by volunteering at STARRS or just through informal advocacy, as is the case for this note.
I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this matter after you’ve had a chance to check out the STARRS site.
It’s time to take action and try to salvage the integrity of our military institutions.
End of message.”
A significant revelation in the Captain’s message is that while he was aware of developments related to DEI, he had little appreciation for their depth, breadth, and danger.
FYI: Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness, just published this analysis:
https://cmrlink.org/data/sites/85/CMRDocuments/CMRPolicyAnalysisMarch2024.pdf
Here is a shorter version of the above:
https://www.cmrlink.org/issues/full/why-the-dod-should-drop-dei-and-affirm-meritocracy-in-the-military
A new STARRS advisor, Dr. Lani Kass, has brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to our effort. Dr. Kass was born in Communist Poland, but grew up in Israel. She is a combat vet (IDF Major), and an American by choice rather than the fortune of birth. Her PhD is in International Relations (Columbia) and Political Science (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). Her undergraduate degrees are in Soviet and Middle East studies. She served as Professor of Military Strategy and Operations at the National War College, Special Assistant to CSAF, and Senior Policy Advisor to the CJCS (C-SPA). After retirement from 30 years of distinguished government service, she was a Senior Vice President at CACI, a $6B Fortune 100 technology solutions company.
Here is a recently published article (part 3 of a 4-part series) by Dr. Kass that directly relates to the issue: Sowing The Wind, Part 3: Newspeak And DEI. Two other very relevant recent publications include https://brownstone.org/articles/divided-we-fall/ and Sowing the Wind: The New ‘Newspeak’.
Here is a short video focusing on the USAFA and targeted at the divisive nature of DEI with its Marxist roots; an ideology we’ve fought against during the Cold War, in Korea, and Vietnam. https://starrs.us/out-of-many-one/
Finally, STARRS was very reluctant to get involved with the COVID vaccination issue until we were convinced by numerous whistleblowers and a tedious evaluation of the published literature. While we are grateful to have played a role in getting the vaccination mandate repealed (as opposed to rescinded) in the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, we are still working with Congress on remedies.
This episode in our military’s history led to a tremendous loss of trust. Commander Rob Green, USN (currently a student at the Joint Forces Staff College), and Vice Admiral (USCG, Retired) William Dean Lee produced a powerful analysis of this episode and its devastating impact/implications. It was published at Real Clear Defense this morning: The Institution or the Constitution | RealClearDefense.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to process the above information.
I would appreciate your reaction, if willing to respond. Your thoughts are welcome, in confidence, if you prefer. And, if you are willing and free to do so, writing or co-writing an article for publication would be greatly appreciated.
V/r,
Ron
Ronald J. Scott, Jr., Ph.D.
Colonel, USAF (Ret)
USAFA Class of 1973
President and CEO
Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services, Inc.
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