The Department of Defense (DOD) is allocating millions of dollars toward diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives under the current administration.
According to Daily Wire, these initiatives include engaging consultants to enhance race and gender-based hiring and implementing sensitivity training programs.
Documents exposed by the Functional Government Initiative reveal that the Biden-Harris administration has committed a substantial amount of taxpayer money to these efforts. These documents show collaborations with academic institutions and consulting firms explicitly aimed at transforming hiring and operational practices within the U.S. military.
Critics argue that the focus on DEI may undermine the military’s primary readiness and negatively impact public perception and recruitment. Notably, these programs have been developed during a period marked by an increasing need for military preparedness. External organizations have been tasked with creating hiring pipelines that prioritize candidates based on race and sex, advising on DEI policies, and managing resistance to such policies. This comes at a time when the military faces a pressing recruitment crisis.
Peter McGinnis, spokesman for the Functional Government Initiative, expressed concerns about the implications of these initiatives on national security.
Multimillion-dollar partnerships include a notable $760,000 project at the University of Missouri Kansas City aimed at prioritizing non-white and female STEM applicants. These strategic moves are positioned as efforts to increase workplace diversity and representation. Meanwhile, Cornell University has been awarded about $202,000 to conduct DEI training. This initiative targets around 70,000 staff members from the Air Force Materiel Command, focusing on unconscious bias and inclusivity.
Moreover, consultations with the RAND Corporation were specifically to address and analyze resistance to DEI efforts within military rank and file.
This focus on DEI also extends to educational frameworks within the Defense Department. The DEI consulting firm BCT Partners secured just under $2 million to create a "DEI Action Plan" for schools run by the DOD, promoting theories and concepts such as Critical Race Theory.
The commitments to these initiatives have been institutionalized through executive orders signed by President Biden, aimed at reinforcing DEI across all federal sectors.
Peter McGinnis also remarked on what he sees as a misplaced priority, "Rather than maximizing readiness training to ensure a capable military, the DOD’s training seems calculated to foster sowing internal discord with aggressive efforts to promote controversial ideologies."
The Pentagon’s request for nearly $270 million from 2022 to 2024 to support these initiatives underscores the administration’s commitment to these changes. All these efforts have not gone unnoticed, catching significant media attention and scrutiny in 2024.
Former President Trump has indicated a stark opposition to these policies, declaring intentions to dismantle the DEI frameworks if re-elected during the current election cycle.
The transition towards DEI in the military under the Biden-Harris administration, marked by extensive funding and collaborations, continues to spark debate regarding its impact on military effectiveness and national security.
