Statement to DACODAI by Greg Salsbury, PhD
April 22, 2024
To: General Lester L. Lyles (USAF, Ret.)
Chairman Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACODAI)
From: Greg Salsbury, Ph.D.
Re: Written Submission for DACODAI Meetings (May 2-3, 2024)
Dear Chairman Lyles,
DACODAI’s notice dated April 2, 2024 indicates that members of the public may email written statements to DACODAI which, if timely submitted, may be considered by your committee’s membership prior to its May 2-3, 2024 meetings. In accordance with that notice, please include this statement as part of the record for your upcoming meeting and supply it to committee members.
As President of Western Colorado University, I saw firsthand how Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) philosophy and policies produced precisely the opposite of what those words would typically convey.
Born from the “critical theory” work of socialist Dr. Herbert Marcuse a century ago, DEI organizes the world into two groups – oppressed and oppressor. Accordingly, everywhere it has been applied – from the classroom to the boardroom – we see that resentment, racism, divisiveness, injustice, and violence have increased, while overall morale, meritocracy, and effectiveness have decreased.
The evidence for this could not be more clearly on display than it is at the wellspring of DEI – our universities. As I write this, thousands of the progeny of DEI at some of our most prestigious campuses are showcasing their newfound devotion to “diversity” and “inclusion” with vile and violent protests – openly and enthusiastically cheering racism, terrorism, and genocide.
The only silver lining is that this horrific display may well enhance support for the growing number of states that have banned DEI programs and personnel from their public schools and universities. Fortunately, some 30 more such pieces of legislation are currently pending nationwide.
While DEI policies are damaging to any system in which they are applied, one could not identify an arena in which they would pose more harm to a country than in its military – where meritocracy, unity, and esprit de corps are essential for its very survival.
If DEI is not removed from our military quickly and completely, we may soon see our men and women in uniform waving Hamas flags and chanting “from the river to the sea.”
Gen Lyles, I respectfully ask you to do everything in your power to reorient our military back to the critical mission of war-fighting readiness and terminate all DEI-related policies.
Respectfully,
Greg Salsbury, Ph.D.
STARRS Board of Advisors Member
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