As the Pentagon continues to push critical race theory (CRT), transgenderism, and progressive secular ideologies in the guise of diversity and inclusion, US legislators are battling back. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) warn about the insidious dangers of this ideological agenda in a new report on woke warfighters. Patrick Hauf wrote about the Rubio-Roy report in his Fox News article, “Pentagon promotes critical race theory, gender identity ‘insanity.’”
In the first two years of the Biden administration, the Department of Defense has made a troubling departure from emphasizing readiness and performance to proven standards for engaging and defeating an enemy. Progressive secular objectives of diversity, equity, and inclusion have replaced the values of patriotism, service, and sacrifice.
Legislation to Stop the Woke Warfighters Trend
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), James Lankford (R-OK), and Josh Hawley (R-MO), along with five other Republicans, are co-sponsoring the Restoring Military Focus Act. The proposed legislation centers on eliminating taxpayer funding of woke pursuits that do not further warfighting capability. Of particular emphasis is defunding and eliminating the position of Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) created by the Biden administration within the Defense Department. “The US military should be focused on confronting the New Axis of Evil — not telling our troops they are racist, teaching CRT or pushing gender pronouns. Our brave warriors should be evaluated solely on their merit,” Blackburn explained in a press release.
Ted Cruz (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
It is not hard to draw parallels between the rise of the woke warfighter and the attack on historically treasured values fomented by secularism and the celebrating of marginal behavior. Assaults on traditional values by divisive ideologies that preach aberrant views persist throughout the military, particularly within the academies. “Secularized liberal Christians will dress up their neo-pagan ideology in the language of virtue — speaking, for example, of ‘compassion,’ of ‘tolerance,’ of ‘inclusion,’ and the like — but the secularist liberal creed is most emphatically un-Christian … Indeed, liberal secularism is nothing but a neo-pagan creed,” explained Robert George, director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. Unfortunately, the US military is beginning to mirror the worst aspects of American society.
Not All Is Lost
“The divisiveness of critical race theory’s and gender ideology’s influence on the military is pervasive, infecting military academies, operational units, and — incredibly — even military medical care,” warned Brent Sadler, senior research fellow at the Center for National Defense, in an article for the Heritage Foundation. However, a bright light can still penetrate the dingy dogma of wokeness. In a recent Fox News interview, Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, an F-16 fighter pilot who recently joined the US Air Force Recruiting Command, revived the positive values prompting most young men and women to join the armed forces:
“Really, for me it’s about sharing with people what it’s like to be in the Air Force … one of our core values is service before self, obviously that lit my heart on fire. It’s the fulfillment you get from working with the world’s greatest team … What I really want to lean into, the Air Force affords everybody that joins this team the opportunity to transition from what success is to significance … We want the best warfighters to join our team.”
Rooney’s sentiments reflect a passionate desire for an armed force that embodies everything great about America, inspiring the best the nation has to offer to showcase “service before self.” The time has come for the Pentagon to give US taxpayers Defense Department leadership that focuses on keeping Americans secure – and nothing else.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
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