The Military Doesn’t Need Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

By Rich Lowry

House Republicans voted to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs and personnel at the Pentagon, and one wonders whether the U.S. military will ever be the same.

The provision was one of a number of anti-“woke” measures in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act — including reversing the Pentagon’s new abortion-enabling paid travel and leave policies — that have occasioned sputtering outrage.

According to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, there’s no way that President Joe Biden would ever sign such legislation “that would put our troops at greater risk or put our readiness at risk.”

America’s leaders used to worry that we wouldn’t have enough stopping power to defend against Soviet tanks potentially pouring through the Fulda Gap or a survivable nuclear force in the event of a nuclear first strike; now they worry servicemembers might not be learning enough about microaggressions.

Last year, Bishop Garrison, serving at the time as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense for human capital and diversity, equity and inclusion, said that diversity, equity and inclusion needs to be part of every decision that the military makes — it’s a “force multiplier,” and will make the military more lethal.

It’s not clear how this could possibly be true.

Is the Marine operating a howitzer going to be more proficient if he’s familiar with the work of Ibram X. Kendi?

Will our fighter pilots be better at aerial warfare if they think the U.S. is defined by systemic racism?

Are our submariners lacking so long as they don’t know that it’s supposedly offensive to ask someone with an accent where he or she is from?

If diversity training is so crucial to a fighting force, maybe we should stop sending so many munitions to Ukraine and ship the embattled country PowerPoint presentations on equity instead? . . . (read the rest on Patriot Post)