By Rep. Michael Waltz, US National Guard Col.
Dr. Kevin Roberts, President, Heritage Foundation
The U.S. Armed Forces have one mission: to protect our nation from foreign enemies. Our troops are as committed to that mission as ever before.
But according to a bracing new report, our warriors’ ability to do their job is being undermined by civilian leaders more interested in woke indoctrination and partisan politics than warfighting readiness.
“The Report of the National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness” is an urgent warning about creeping politicization at the Pentagon and its corrosive impact on America’s national defense.
As the report details, the Biden administration’s whole-of-government embrace of woke politics is becoming a dangerous distraction for servicemen and women who signed up to protect and defend, not virtue-signal.
The top-line statistics compiled in the report are jarring.
Last year, the Army missed its recruiting goal by 25 percent. They expect this year to be even worse. The Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps began the new fiscal year in October 50 percent below their normal recruiting numbers.
Public confidence in the military is falling precipitously, and even military families – from which most recruits come – are less likely to recommend military life.
What explains the decline? According to a November poll, the most common explanations included “military leadership becoming overly politicized” and “so-called ‘woke’ practices undermining military effectiveness.”
Another survey found that 65 percent of active-duty servicemen and women are concerned about politicization, including the woke training programs and equity-minded reduced physical fitness standards.
Troop retention rates are falling, too, and for the same reasons.
As the report notes, “the perception that non-warfighting missions are distracting senior military leadership may alienate experienced, skilled and knowledgeable warfighters, incentivizing their early departure[.]”
It’s no coincidence that the Heritage Foundation’s latest annual Index of U.S. Military Strength rated our Armed Forces preparedness “weak.”
Up and down the ranks, Team Biden’s DEI-focused initiatives are degrading the warrior ethos, “grounded in values such as courage, honor and self-sacrifice,” on which military morale, respect and success depend.
The Department of Defense touts its “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” agenda like a third-tier college, apparently unaware that the institution they lead is “by design, exclusionary to ensure its readiness.” . . . . (read more on Fox News)
What People Are Saying
(Few of the 5,600+ comments from the comment section)
“A friend of mine has a son in the AF that is an officer. He has a masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He told his dad he is retiring in a few months and that it can’t happen soon enough
He says that the “woke” garbage being shoved down their throats is sickening, and he can’t take it anymore. He says there are many officers and enlisted that feel the same way and will be leaving the service. As bad as the Russian military has performed in Ukraine, I doubt if we could even defeat them on a battlefield.”
“This article is absolutely right. I just retired from the Marine Corps after 20 years last year and it’s getting out of hand. You’ve got leadership that doesn’t care about anything except these woke policies. I know lots of Marines that are getting out because they are tired of it, as well as Marines, who wanted to do more than 20 years but they are tired of the woke culture.”
“It’s true. The woke agenda was a leading factor in my decision to retire after 22 years. I was seeing a new generation of Soldiers that I would not want in a foxhole with me.”
“I retired after 25+ years last February. I made this life changing decision after what I deemed was CRT indoctrination. They called it something else. My inner voice became an external tirade of disagreement, and I knew this was a battle I was going to lose. Cowardly, I decided to exit with my pension intact. The problem with this is so did a great many of my cohort of technical and tactical experts. The “Great Purge” continues.”
“I proudly served 25 years in the Army. Most Soldiers I know today, including two of my sons, are just hanging on until they hit 20, if they’re close, or until their current enlistment expires. It will take massive investments of time and money to rebuild our military once this administration ends.“
“It’s terrible. I retired last year from the military, 27 1/2 years, am very proud of my service. Things changing over time is to be expected, however, the changes in the past several years have been drastic & disappointing. We need to do better & change course. Will stop there.”
“I stopped by the Unit I retired from in 2016 later that year. They were getting ready to have the usual classes the Military requires periodically. My Commander wanted me to stick around for the Transgender training.”
“Simply put, I would not voluntarily join today’s politically correct military. The military exists for only one reason, defending this country by breaking things and hurting people as directed by the leaders of this country. After serving nearly 29 years (1967-1995 and reaching the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, I must conclude that I would have never made Staff Sergeant, even in the shortage intelligence field I worked in if the current upper-level management had been in power then.”
“They spend more time peddling redundant irrelevant social training than military skills training. My husband and I retired just in time, however our oldest daughter is only spending her initial enlistment in the Army due to all the woke distractions.”
“I am retired from just short of 37 years of Military service and right now I would direct people to not let their children join the military right now. ”
“I’m just glad my wife and I both retired before this garbage went further south. The military we served in was proud of what we did. The “new” military has zero discipline, even less pride in what they do and integrity is a thing of the past. As a country we are doomed if it’s up to our government and fighting forces to defend us. The civilian populace is better armed, better trained and more willing to defend what we worked to have. Sad but true.”
“There are a lot of US veterans like me who are paying attention and are saying, “This is NOT the America I fought so hard for!”
“Real men don’t want to shower with tranny’s – real men don’t want to fight for a woke government – real men don’t want to be called racists and white supremacists and oppressors- real men don’t want to be forced to take an experimental vaccine – real men don’t want to fight for a President that used them for fodder like the disastrous Afghanistan surrender- real men don’t want to fight for Joe Biden….”
“No one in their right mind would ever consider volunteering for the military these days. The Pentagon is no longer interested in protecting our country – they are interested in only protecting the democrat party. We have removed our son from his JROTC high school program and put him in a private school. We support our country, but no way is he voluntarily entering the military or participating in ROTC at the college level. The military is destroying itself.”
“I retired from the Military and will do everything possible to talk my kids out of joining based on this awful corrupt woke leadership.”
“My son has 10 plus years into the Army; infantryman. Currently a captain and ready to be promoted to a major. Unfortunately he wants out. His complaint- he has been made into a glorified babysitter. My friend’s son; a major in the Air Force. Got out for the same reason.”
“I retired with over 30 years of service and before I was required and have actively discouraged my children to join the military. This will be the first time in four generations not to serve.”
“Spent 20 years in the Navy. With the new policies and feminization of the military, I don’t recommend it to any of my 7 grandsons.”
“My family since 1914 has been legally immigrating to the US, generation after generation… and at least one of each generation (often more than a few) serve as a show of thanks to being allowed to immigrate to the US. This is the first generation that we’ve had that will not be serving in the military. The damage done not just to the military by the Left, but also to the young generations in general by the left are why if/when we fall, it will be from within, and not from without.”
“Anyone who is / was in the military knows the success of the mission and their survival in combat requires that commitment to their other members of the unit. Whether you’re in a foxhole of or flying a jet aircraft your survival depends on every person committed to the mission. Unfortunately, DEI has the exact opposite impact. Instead of creating a unified unit, DEI creates mistrust between members of the unit. It destroys the unity that is the key to not only combat success, unit harmony and more importantly the persons survivability.”
“My father was a Marine. My grandfather was a Sailor. My great grandfather was a Soldier. And I am a retired Soldier. Service to this country is one of the greatest things you can do in life. That being said. I discouraged all 3 of my sons from enlisting. The current military is beyond broken. It has nothing to do with the enlisted or junior officers. The problem lies with the upper leadership. ”
“The whole thing with the COVID shot or out was nothing but a pure power play and a culling method. I was in during the anthrax shot controversy, and people who didn’t take it weren’t kicked out, just placed in a non-deployable status.”
“Retired from the military in 2017. I will not allow my children to serve in this current climate, especially when we have a “CinC” who has a habit of putting our service members in harms way.”
“I retired in 09 and discouraged all 3 of my sons from joining.”
In 1972, I was in Army basic with dozens of Puerto Ricans, other Latinos, African Americans, people brought on base in handcuffs, mountain people from Appalachia and yes, some effeminate types. We all trained, sweated, worked and played together – no DEI training, etc.. Overseas a black friend and I stood back-to-back when some locals got a bit rowdy – didn’t think about it twice, before or since.”
“Sad, I’ve been a contractor for almost 30 years and the quality of the military recruits are way down from even 10 years ago. At some point military officers are more concerned about making rank instead of doing what’s best for our country. If the President tells them to go woke, they’ll do it regardless of the consequences. They become more of a politician rather worry about the troops.”
“I started seeing this as early as 2006. I served with a mid-level NCO(E-6), that was brain washed and was in the beginnings of being “Woke”. He was a contradiction to the Army mindset at the time. But, he got right for the direction the Army was going as he retired as an E-9.”
“Two months ago I talked with a friend who works in D.C. with the Pentagon but he’s in the private sector. He’s a former Blue Angel pilot. He said two things. One is that Obama lives 2 miles from the White House and is there every day. And that every top officer in the Pentagon needs to be fired. He said this country is in even worse shape than we could ever imagine.”
“My son has dreamed of being an “army man” since he was a child but the reality of it is that the current government sees them as cannon fodder and does not respect the soldiers as American citizens. They are forcing left wing political beliefs rather than American greatness that was once instilled into our brave soldiers and its just not the same. He doesn’t want to go fight wars for liberal beliefs or values. He will instead go to trade school and learn to lay bricks or operate heavy machinery. If Trump wins the next election, and changes the way the military operates he may reconsider, but for now its trade school.”
“My son, who wanted to be a Marine his entire youth, left after 5 years, disgusted with the new ‘woke’ Marines.”
“I am an Army officer with 30 years of service. My 19 and 17 year old sons are not joining the military and that is because I told them it is not a good option. This opinion story is an accurate representation. Also, I believe the withdrawal from Afghanistan was demoralizing to both those in uniform as well as anyone considering joining. Retention is at an all time low at the same time that recruitment is as well. This is a leadership problem that starts with the administration. Military flag officers serve at the pleasure of Congress and the Executive Branch. They have become de facto political bureaucrats.”
“That West Point cadet a few years back that had “communism will win” written inside his cover may have just been giving us a warning of what was going on. It’s turning out to be correct.”
“21 years of service with some of the best people in the country. Now, when people ask me about whether or not to go into the military, I pretty much say not in a million years.”
“I served 8 proud years in the military in the late 80’s, through mid-90’s. I used to recommend the military to young people all the time. No more. And that’s pretty sad…..”
“I never thought I would say this: I spent 4 years active duty then 30 years in the active military reserves. During the same 30 years I was on the San Diego P.D. I retired from both on the same Friday. For obvious reasons because of today’s political climate, I could not in good conscience recommend either one of these professions to a young person. I enjoyed my time in both jobs, but that was a different time.”
“Recruiting hasn’t looked like this since the end of the Vietnam war after 55,000 fatalities in 450,000 battle injuries we walked away. We have done the same thing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya… as a retired, lieutenant commander. I have counseled many to avoid military service at all cost. We don’t mind risking our lives. But risking our lives for fools is not in our interest.”
“My family has always encouraged service in the military. Both parents served in WWII, my brother in Vietnam, my son retired after 5 deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I was called out of retirement to serve in Afghanistan. We have always cherished the traditions and service of our military. As my grandsons are reaching the age of service and have expressed an interest in joining the army, our family has decided to discourage them in this endeavor. We don’t want them to be cannon fodder in one of Biden’s misadventures and be sacrificed because of a lack of training and mission focus. I am saddened that the military has declined to this sad state of readiness.”
“The branch of the military I served in and the nation I fought for are totally different today. Personally, I don’t feel my nation deserves my son’s blood and sacrifice. I would do everything in my power to discourage him if he ever considers joining.”
“I am a 30 year retired veteran of the US Army. It was my pleasure to serve the greatest nation on Earth. I served in Desert Storm, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. I am not sure I would serve today under our current Commander in Chief. Granted, I served under Carter and Obama but the attitude toward our current Armed Forces by this administration is frightening. It seems our military forces spend more time learning about hating their fellow countrymen (CRT, LGBQT and other sensitivity training) then they do training to fight and win our nation’s wars. We will definitely get our nose bloodied when we go to war against the Chinese and or North Koreans.”
“I spent twelve years in the Marine Corp, but I would discourage any young person to join today under this current Biden Administration or any future Democratic Administration.”
“Back in the old days, everyone in was green, and there was no need to preach about equity or racism. this is a monster of their own creation.”
“My father served in the British Royal Air Force toward the end of WWII, I served 21 years in the US Army – I used to encourage young men to join, but no longer. Now I try and talk them out of it. The military that used to be a matter of patriotic pride to serve in is now a sad joke.”
“DEI in the military is NOT a failed policy! It is a highly successful MARXIST policy that is doing a great job at destroying the US military. We all sit here and look at how horrific the Biden administration has been, and can count their failures all day. But we need to be seeing this through the lens of the communist playbook. Whoever is behind Biden pulling the strings (Soros/Obama/Name your communist), they have actually been doing a very effective job at installing socialism. You have to give it to them, they have a highly coordinated, multifaceted and aggressive agenda that has simultaneously struck the military, economy, working middle class, masculinity, nuclear family, health care, school aged children and especially race relations.”
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