WASHINGTON — More than 75 years after President Harry S. Truman signed the executive order desegregating the U.S. armed forces, current-day diversity initiatives in the military are now under fire.
On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers voiced concerns about what they label as "wokeness."
At a hearing last week of the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs, without offering specific evidence, Republican critics launched a barrage of attacks on "progressive ideologies" in the military.
"Our military is grappling with the Biden Administration's social experiments of integrating principles of diversity, equity and inclusion or DEI into their ranks," said Rep Glenn Grothman (R-Wisconsin).
Rep Paul Gosar (R-Arizona) said: "Woke policies have infiltrated the U.S. military and caused failing recruitment and retention rates, low morale and quite frankly pose a national security threat."
Retired Space Force Lieutenant Colonel and author Matthew Lohmeier testified.
He said: "The diversity, equity and inclusion industry is steeped in critical race theory and is rooted in anti-American Marxist ideology."
But committee Democrats and one witness defended the Defense Department's ongoing efforts to level the playing field.
"To recruit from the most diverse generation in history we also need a military that looks like America. We need a cohesive military which does not allow bigotry within its rank," said Rep Robert Garcia (D-California).
Retired Army Brigadier General Ty Seidule spent 20 years as a history professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He said: "The military's half-century commitment to equal opportunity and diversity has created a more lethal, effective and cohesive force."
In its FY '24 budget request, the Pentagon has asked for S114 million to fund diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts.
The Defense Department's 2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, released last November, shows the number of service members dropped 2.7% over the previous year.
According to the annual demographics report, the active-duty and selected reserve population was 58,282 lower than in 2021, for a total of 2,077,630 service members.