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Op Ed # 604 Center For Military Readiness Challenges New Congress to End Woke-ism in the US Military

  • Op Ed # 604 Center For Military Readiness Challenges New Congress to End Woke-ism in the US Military

By Capt Joseph R. John, January 18, 2023
 

Ms. Elaine Donnelly has been the President of the Center for Military Readiness (CMR) for 30 years.  She has done an exceptionally outstanding job of supporting every correct policy initiative and the annual DOD budget request to improve the Combat Effectiveness of US Armed Forces for 30 years.  

In her below listed initiatives, she is encouraging the Biden/Obama administration to end Wokeness in the US Military, the politics of skin color and pronouns in the US Military, which over the last two years, has resulted in “Weakened Morale”, a Decreased State of Readiness”, has Eliminated Unit Cohesiveness”, and has “Degraded The Combat Effectiveness” of the US Armed Forces.  

The Navy Leadership promoting “Wokeness” has threatened to punish sailors who purposely abuse pronouns to define transgender service members, viewing it as an offense of harassment.  Sailors that contravene the policy can encounter administrative or judicial punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  The Navy Pentagon Leadership states that intentional misuse of transgender service member pronouns is inappropriate and inconsistent with the Navy zero tolerance policy on harassment.  The Navy appreciates that pronouns are a part of individual identity which both civilian and uniformed Navy members are expected to make use of, as well as to pronounce names correctly.  

Imposing the “Wokeness” progressive ideology, forcing the indoctrination of “Critical Race Theory” while focusing on skin color of all US military personnel, and eliminating the privacy of female-only living facilities has resulted in a severe “Recruiting Crisis for the All-Volunteer Force”.  All branches of the Armed Forces are facing dire recruiting realities, the Army failed to meet 25% of its recruiting goal, the Navy is raising the maximum enlistment age to 41 to try to meet its recruiting goal.  Vacancies in the ranks are not escaping the rulers of Communist China, Russia, Communist Cuba, Communist North Korea, and Islamic Republic of Iran (Largest State Sponsor of Terrorist). 

The requirement for the US military to improve “Combat Effectiveness” should be the primary goal of the Secretary of Defense.  However, by imposing “Wokeness”, aggressively recruiting LGBTQ personnel while requiring the US Military to cover the very expensive cost of sex transition surgery, and imposing the indoctrination of  “Critical Race Theory”, the Secretary of Defense has made it very difficult to recruit the All-Volunteer Force. 

If American voters want the US Armed Forces to be ready to fight and win in a conflict, they must elect a President and Congress that will stop the focus on Wokeness, who instead will focus on Combat Effectiveness, and a President who will understand that America’s adversaries do not care about the use of specific pronouns or the focus on the politics of race.   

We encourage you to read the below listed article in which Elaine Donnelly is encouraging the 118th Congress to end Wokeness in the US Military. 

Copyright by Capt Joseph R. John.  All Rights Reserved.  The material can only be posted on another Web site or distributed on the Internet by giving full credit to the author.  It may not be published, broadcast, or rewritten without the permission from the author.  

 

 

For Immediate Release

January 17, 2023

Contact:  Elaine Donnelly, CMR President

(734) 464-9430

CMR Challenges New Congress to End Woke-ism in the Military

The following comments may be attributed to Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness (CMR), an independent public policy organization that reports on and analyzes military/social issues.  

“The armed forces’ Recruiting Crisis of 2022 will continue and worsen in 2023 unless Congress acts to restore sound priorities that are being weakened by woke ideology.

National security depends on the All-Volunteer Force.  Congress, which has the constitutional responsibility for oversight, must not allow Defense Department leaders to continue and extend woke policies that are alienating the military’s core constituency: traditional, patriotic families.  

The Center for Military Readiness calls on the new 118th Congress to oppose, change, or repeal “woke” policies in the military that are weakening morale and readiness, and to support sound priorities that would make our military stronger. 

CMR Challenge for 2023: Woke-ism in Our Military

“Woke policies impose progressive ideologies and take them to extremes with enforced compliance, even if they hurt the institution.  

“The Center for Military Readiness has challenged Congress to end woke-ism in the military by addressing ten issues, linked here.  In summary, Congress should

Oppose:

Pentagon Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) metrics and percentage-based quotas Divisive critical race theory (CRT) instructions in military schools and academies Anti-extremist programs skewed by leftist ideology  Registration of Women with Selective Service for a possible future draft Attempts to re-define Selective Service with steps toward National Service Sex-normed (different) training standards for men and women in (infantry) combat  Unreasonable COVID vaccine mandates that exclude or discharge willing personnel  Relaxed eligibility rules for persons with a history of disqualifying behavioral problems Sexualized military base entertainment that alienates families and disrespects women 

Re-Evaluate and Revise to Promote Readiness:

Consequences of imposing “gender diversity” on direct ground combat(infantry) units  The consequences of “sex-neutral” (identical) standards” that cause disproportionate injuries, higher attrition rates, and non-deployability among women Impact of transgender policies that accommodate gender dysphoria in the military, including violations of personal privacy in female-only living facilities and athletics Impact of gender dysphoria policies on medical ethics and rights of religious liberty 

Support:

Reality-based health care programs that protect children from woke activists who promote transgender treatments and sometimes surgeries without parental involvement  Non-discrimination and recognition of merit in enlistment and promotion polices  Command accountability for due process and justice in matters of sexual assault Military parents’ rights to seek information about the curriculum, teaching practices, and books used in Department of Defense Education (DoDEA)schools “Peace Through Strength” and American military superiority 

“If there are conflicts between woke social causes or career interests and the needs of the military, the needs of the military must come first.  We hope that pro-defense lawmakers will aggressively defend sound policies that strengthen our military, not weaken it.”   

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The Center for Military Readiness, founded in 1993, is celebrating its 30th anniversaryas an independent, non-partisan public policy organization that reports on and analyzes military/social issues.  Elaine Donnelly can be reached at elaine@cmrlink.org, and more information is available at www.cmrlink.org.  

Center for Military Readiness  |  P. O. Box 51600  |  Livonia, MI  48151 |  734-464-9430