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Biden Army Secretary Defends ‘Woke’ DEI Programs as ‘Important’

On Monday, the Biden Administration’s Secretary of the Army defended the branch’s embrace of far-left “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs that seek to divide American soldiers on the basis of their race.

Fox News reports that, at a meeting with other military leaders, Secretary Christine Wormuth responded to criticisms that the Army has gone “woke,” a term for race-based identity politics that systematically favor minorities and disadvantage White Americans. Wormuth also defended the Army’s DEI programs as “important.”

“We get criticized, frankly, sometimes for being ‘woke.’ I’m not sure what ‘woke’ means. I think ‘woke’ means a lot of different things to different people,” said the secretary. “But, first of all, if ‘woke’ means we are not focused on warfighting, we are not focused on readiness, that doesn’t reflect what I see at installations all around the country or overseas when I go and visit.” Wormuth did not cite any examples of the readiness she claimed to be in place.

“I do think we do have a wide range of soldiers in our Army, and we’ve got to make them all feel included,” Wormuth continued. “And that’s why a lot of our diversity, equity and inclusion programs are important.”

Her comments were made as the entirety of the U.S. military shifts hard to the Left on race- and gender-based identity politics, a directive ordered by the Biden White House shortly after Joe Biden took power. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin once testified under oath that he would make sure that the Department of Defense rooted out so-called “White supremacists” within the military’s ranks, while Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said under oath that he wanted to teach the concept of “White rage” to the military.

Most recently, the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado has been heavily criticized for showing cadets a diversity training lecture titled “Diversity & Inclusion: What it is, why we care, & what we can do.” The slides featured in the lecture ordered cadets to use “person-centered” language that “includes all genders,” and to refrain from using such gendered words as “mom” and “dad.”

An Air Force Academy spokesman defended the training by claiming that it would improve the cadets’ “warfighting readiness.”

“As part of the Diversity & Inclusion Cadet Leadership Program, this conversation was developed by cadet leaders and USAFA staff to introduce all cadets to Department of the Air Force definitions of diversity and inclusion,” the spokesman said, “as well as how these concepts enhance our warfighting effectiveness.”

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About Eric Lendrum

Eric Lendrum graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was the Secretary of the College Republicans and the founding chairman of the school’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter. He has interned for Young America’s Foundation, the Heritage Foundation, and the White House, and has worked for numerous campaigns including the 2018 re-election of Congressman Devin Nunes (CA-22). He is currently a co-host of The Right Take podcast.

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images