Military

GOP: Pentagon Promoting Harmful Race-, Gender-based Policies

Published NOV 22 2022

Story

Image credit: AP [via Fox News]

The Facts

A new GOP report has criticized the Biden admin. for allegedly overemphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies — which the report labeled as critical race theory — and gender identity in the US military. The report suggested that these policies undermine the military's ability to defend US territory and fight the country's wars abroad.
Daily Caller
The report was put together by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) to investigate left-leaning political ideologies in the US military and their potential negative effects on the armed forces' ability to function correctly.
Daily Mail
The report alleges that less than a month after his appointment as Sec. of Defense, Lloyd Austin ordered all commanding officers and supervisors to schedule a day to discuss extremism. The Biden admin. later identified fewer than 100 cases of extremism out of 2.1M active forces.
FOX News
The Dept. of Defense (DoD) has defended its policies, saying diversity, equity, and inclusion programs strengthen the military, give it a broader pool of potential troops amid an institution-wide recruiting crisis, and have no bearing on readiness to defend the nation.
Politico
The GOP may be able to wield greater influence on DoD policies starting Jan. 3, 2022, when they assume a majority in the House of Representatives. House Republicans will be able to establish their own hearings on topics of concern, advance legislation, and platform concerns such as these.
Politico

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The Spin

Republican narrative

The military's obsession with race and woke ideology only harms Americans and the US's interests abroad. House Republicans have a duty to investigate this and purge the military of toxic woke culture — the DoD needs to focus on critical emerging threats, such as China's rising geopolitical power.

Red State

Democratic narrative

The GOP's obsession with "wokeness" in the military is just another Fox News-fueled overreaction to the institution's essential diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The armed forces reflect the composition of the US population, and its soldiers deserve a culture that supports all Americans and is free of extremism.