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

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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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Sources: Daily Caller, Daily Mail, FOX News, and Politico.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by RedState. 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.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Politico. 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.