Jed Babbin: Biden’s woke military Wokeness, an extreme version of political correctness, took root in the Pentagon during the Obama years
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/mar/30/bidens-woke-military/
There are two types of senior military leaders. One always seeks ways to maximize the lethality and readiness of the forces under his command. The other is so sunken in the political swamp that those concepts are nearly forgotten.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin unfortunately falls in the second category. He and President Biden are turning our military into a “woke” force.
Wokeness, an extreme version of political correctness, took root in the Pentagon during the Obama years. Two examples suffice. In 2014, then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel mandated an “environmental roadmap” mandating deference to environmental concerns when making operational plans. In 2015, the Army issued regulations requiring that commanders balance mission requirements with the needs of breastfeeding mothers. Compromising readiness or operational needs to politics is a stupid move that can cost American lives.
The officers who were converted to that thinking during the Obama years are now the generals and admirals who are most susceptible to wokeness.
Soon after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Mr. Biden asked the intelligence community for an assessment of the threat of domestic terrorism. Because some active duty military members and veterans reportedly participated in the riot, on Feb. 3, Mr. Austin ordered a Defense Department-wide “stand down” over 60 days to have training on extremism at every level down to the smallest unit.
A military stand-down order is an extraordinary remedy intended to solve a manifestly serious problem. Despite the lack of a clear problem of extremism anywhere within the military, Mr. Austin ordered one anyway. According to two sources, many troops are questioning — and disbelieving — the “training” because it focuses only on the Jan. 6 riot and excludes mention of the months-long Antifa and BLM riots.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson riled the woke Pentagon by hotly criticizing new Pentagon regulations that allow more hairstyles for women and allow pregnant aircrew members to wear maternity flight suits while flying missions. Mr. Carlson said, “Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the U.S. military.” He added, “While China’s military becomes more masculine as it’s assembled the world’s largest navy, our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, ‘more feminine’…”
The Pentagon’s many furious responses to Mr. Carlson’s remarks evidenced the terrible sensitivity that comes only from self-doubt. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that Mr. Carlson had demeaned the entire U.S. military, praised the military’s “diversity” and sniffed that the Pentagon wouldn’t take advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military.
Gen. Paul Funk, commander of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command, and chimed in, saying that women service members “were beacons of freedom” who prove Mr. Carlson wrong through dedication and determination. The command senior enlisted leader of Space Command, Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, who should know better.
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