U.K. defense chief vows to stamp out distracting ‘woke culture’ in armed forces

WOW, let’s hope someday a smart American defense chief will do the same thing!

In remarks that mirror the raging debate in the U.S., British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has declared war on “divisive woke culture” and “leftist thinking” that he says has infiltrated the British military in its drive to boost diversity and inclusion in the armed forces.

Writing in the British newspaper, The Express, Mr. Shapps on Sunday argued that political correctness in the British military is threatening to distract from the military’s core mission of being a lethal force that can defeat its enemies.

“Many of the woke policies – such as compulsory unconscious bias training, which has been widely rubbished and scrapped for the civil service – are divisive,” Mr. Shapps said.

“They have the effect of setting individuals against each other, not bringing them together as an Armed Forces family.”

He also criticized the creation of gender-neutral toilets in the military, saying they have proven to be deeply unpopular in the ranks.

“We will review these policies,” Mr. Shapps said.

The decision comes after reports that the British army wants to relax security checks for overseas recruits to help increase ethnic minority representation in the armed forces.

Mr. Shapps, a veteran Conservative Party politician who has held multiple Cabinet positions under a string of Conservative prime ministers, said he was a strong believer in the philosophy that the military should represent the British people that it serves and protects.

“We need to do more to encourage people from a wide range of backgrounds to serve, and we need to ensure that beyond basic security requirements, no one who wants to serve should feel excluded,” he said.

“But the details of some of the suggested plans that have been revealed this weekend are not about protecting personnel or improving working conditions for minority groups.”

Conservative Republicans in the U.S. Congress have waged a similar battle against “DEI” — diversity, equality and inclusion — programs in the Pentagon since President Biden took office, arguing the focus on social goals undermines military readiness and effectiveness.

Mr. Shapps’ editorial has already sparked its own backlash in the British press. Mike Crofts, a former British Army captain, wrote in The Independent that the minister’s attack on woke policies was just another cynical political stunt to mask much graver problems with recruitment and retention.”

Mr. Shapps said political correctness in the military is symbolic of the woke culture that has seeped into British public life and is poisoning common-sense discourse.

“Anyone who questions it is dismissed out of hand, and anyone who does want a ‘woke armed forces’ would take us back to square one,” Mr. Shapps said.