By Nicole Kiprilov | Independent Women’s Forum
After four years of the deliberate and relentless politicization and wokeification of the United States Armed Forces, we are finally back on track to restoring excellence and strength to our military.
There is no better indication of that than Operation Midnight Hammer, a mission that proves what happens when decisive, warrior-first leadership steps in and unleashes the full might of our military.
On June 22, our military executed precision strikes on Iran’s major nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This sophisticated operation, conducted as a result of intelligence showing Iran advancing uranium enrichment beyond civilian purposes, involved seven B‑2 stealth bombers carrying Massive Ordnance Penetrators, submarine‑launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, and a broader strike package of over 125 aircraft.
This was one of the most strategic and flawless long-range operations in modern United States military history.
What made this operation possible was not just capability, but also clarity.
Operation Midnight Hammer showcased what happens when the chain of command is free from political distraction, and leadership has the will and strength to act.
These operational plans had existed for over a decade, with pilots training for years. But under the Biden-Harris administration, the Pentagon’s priorities had shifted toward DEI programming, climate initiatives, and ideological experimentation. War plans gathered dust while military readiness deteriorated.
The Trump administration changed that. In just six months, President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth led a full-scale reorientation of Pentagon priorities away from identity politics and back to combat lethality and the warrior ethos.
Secretary Hegseth immediately dismantled DEI offices, canceled identity-based trainings and “gender-affirming care,” and reinstated a merit-based promotion system.
These cultural reforms laid the foundation for empowering competent, cohesive units who had been preparing for this mission for years, to carry out Operation Midnight Hammer, showing the world just how admirable the United States military is.
Recruitment, which unsurprisingly suffered a 25% deficit during the Biden administration, has begun to rebound as the military has refocused on core warfighting readiness.
In fact, the Army has already surpassed its 2025 recruitment goals four months early. The Navy, the Air Force, and the Space Force have all reached their recruitment goals three months early, which is proof that young Americans are inspired by a military that values strength and excellence.
Rebuilding Combat Excellence
Under Biden and Harris, Department of Defense resources were diverted toward “gender affirming care,” race and gender-based promotion systems, and climate and equity programs, at the expense of combat readiness and the American taxpayer, with training time cut and ideological reforms prioritized.
Service members across branches were required to attend “white privilege” and DEI sessions, even as recruitment lagged and basic training standards declined.
In stark contrast, Secretary Hegseth put a hard stop to ideological programming and restored battlefield competence as the cornerstone of military culture. He reinstated physical fitness standards, reemphasized warfighting skill development, and sent a clear message that the Pentagon is no longer a lab for leftist social theory.
This is exactly the kind of courageous leadership our brave servicemembers needed.
As Secretary Hegseth put it, “Any general more interested in race and gender theory than in combat lethality should not be leading America’s warfighters.”
That cultural shift—restoring focus, discipline, and mission-first thinking—meant that when the time came to execute Operation Midnight Hammer, commanders could select units based purely on readiness and performance.
The talent had long been there. What changed was the political leadership’s willingness to let them do their job.
Excellence Unleashed
Operation Midnight Hammer was no easy feat. The B‑2 bombers flew an 18-hour mission—the largest such operational strike since 2001—with decoy routes across the Pacific and simultaneous precision strikes on hardened nuclear sites.
General Dan “Razin” Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, confirmed 14 GBU‑57 bombs were delivered deep underground, without detection or resistance.
While some of the mission’s operational foundations were laid years ago, the courage to green-light this strike came from the top.
Secretary Hegseth praised the flawless execution of the Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Bomb Wing.
Unlike the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, where DEI obsession paralyzed command decisions, this mission demonstrated the clarity and speed that only comes from leadership focused solely on national strength, not on DEI and wokeism.
It is no coincidence that the military’s finest moment in decades happened under a Commander-in-Chief and Defense Secretary who unapologetically value American power.
The Mission Ahead
Operation Midnight Hammer is a warning to our enemies and a rallying cry to the American people.
When the Pentagon is focused on warfighting, not wokeism, we reclaim our place as the world’s dominant military force.
The Trump administration removed the ideological shackles from our service members and made clear that the job of the Department of Defense is to win wars, not wage culture battles.
As the global landscape grows more complex, the path is clear: Instead of investing in ideological experiments, we must continue recommitting to the restoration of the warrior ethos.
The days of deprioritizing national security and elevating the woke culture are over.
Today stands a military that is once again empowered to defend the country, project strength abroad, and seamlessly execute difficult missions with precision and honor.
If the Biden years taught us how dangerous ideological distraction can be, Operation Midnight Hammer reminded the world what American strength looks like when it is unapologetically focused on excellence.
As Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell recently stated, “Let it be known that our military has everything it needs to conduct any mission and remains the most lethal fighting force in the world.”
First published on Independent Women’s Forum
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