According to Pentagon officials, they have not seen any impact from the so-called woke policies within the military.

Public confidence in the military has plummeted in recent years. Polls show that half of Americans attribute their decreased opinion to these practices. Republican lawmakers claim that they have heard from dozens of servicemen who claim that the Pentagon’s increasing focus on liberal social policy is distracting them from the larger mission of the military.

These opposing world views will be brought to the forefront when Republicans win control of the House in January. The GOP’s top leaders are determined to focus on the apparent disconnect between the priorities and experiences of Pentagon brass and those of rank and file.

“There is a huge disconnect. “I think you have to almost be willfully blind to this,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a Republican and former Marine. He is the incoming chairman for the House’s new House Select Committee on China.

Gallagher pointed to the latest defense survey by the Ronald Reagan Institute, which showed that half of Americans blame “woke practices” for their declining confidence in the military.

In an exclusive interview with The Washington Times, Mr. Gallagher stated that “we’ve had such high-profile incidents it’s impossible to deny that it’s actually happening.” While reasonable adults may disagree on the utility and impact of the woke agenda’s existence, it is undisputed that it exists.

The debate about woke policies is heating up. It involves the teaching of critical racism theory, a disproportionate emphasis on diversity and inclusion training, gender identity, and even the recent fight by the Pentagon to require mandatory COVID-19 vaccine for all ranks. However, Pentagon officials deny that there is a woke agenda.

Marine Corps Commandant General David Berger was then asked earlier this month whether he has seen any negative effects within the Corps as a result of the fight over woke policy.

“I don’t even see it.” It’s not what I hear. They aren’t talking about it. According to Defense One, he stated that it was not a factor in their decision-making process. “I don’t see any conversation or impact of woke-ism among the rank and file.

Gallagher stated that he didn’t believe Gen. Berger was lying. Service members should not raise the consequences and nature of woke military policies with their superiors.

He told The Times that a four-star general is unlikely to have the most open discussion. “It’s not surprising that they don’t hear about it,” he said.

Republicans give a variety of examples, including the teaching of critical racism at military institutions and last spring’s military-wide stand-down, during which all service personnel were required to discuss hateful ideologies. The stand-down order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin came only weeks after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Only a small number of cases were found in the campaign against ultra-nationalism and far-right extremism within the ranks. Critics claim that focusing on social issues distracts from the primary priority of forming an effective fighting force to defend the nation.

Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican and Navy veteran, said this summer that “our military has become the wake military, not the deadly military.”

The debate has also included the Jan. 6 riot. In June 2020 testimony before Congress, General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested that racism played a role in the pro-Trump mob attack. Many of those involved were veterans of military service. He also said that it was important for all who serve in uniform in armed forces to understand this.

He said, “I want to understand White Rage, and I’m White,” on June 23, 2020. “What caused thousands of people in the United States to attack this building and attempt to overthrow the Constitution of the United States?”

For implying that there was a direct racial link to Jan. 6’s events, the Army General faced harsh criticism. He promised to return to the subject at a later time, one month after his remarks.

He also maintained that the military was an apolitical institution.

Agenda from the top

Critics claim that the Biden administration has implemented an agenda that values diversity more than any other aspect of the service member’s life, such as American taxpayers paying for gender-reassignment surgery.

Trump administration Secretary Mike Pompeo, a former West Point graduate and Army captain, stated that American pilots, sailors, Marines, and soldiers “must not be corrupted for political ends.” “… The Biden administration has replaced warfighting doctrines, even at the training level, with doctrines that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The administration denies it is following a woke agenda. According to Pentagon officials, a diverse military is better for the country because it reflects its diversity and ultimately improves its effectiveness. The U.S. military is better at fighting extremism and promoting equality by creating a culture that encourages inclusion.

“I served in the military for 30+ years and I can tell ya, diversity and inclusion makes us a better army,” John Kirby, then-Pentagon spokesperson, said to Fox in an interview this year. “Because it brings to the forefront in the operational decision-making that we conduct better ideas and more unique perspectives, somebody’s lived experiences that might actually make us better on the battlefield.”

However, Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers (the ranking Republican on House Armed Services Committee) has indicated that the woke debate isn’t over.

Rogers stated earlier in the month that troops shouldn’t be the vanguard of the left’s social agenda. Next year, the new majority will be performing robust oversight and will demand accountability from the administration. The military’s direction has been a source of concern for Americans in recent years. The current Defense Department political appointees push questionable policies for our troops to please an ideological minority of Americans.

New culture wars

The Biden administration’s military is waging a culture war with conservatives over the looming battle for woke military policy.