The new Trump administration has left service members and civilian workers inundated with tedium and red tape, amid its ambitious vow to bolster military prowess. Currently, the Pentagon’s focus seems to be a sweeping directive requiring thorough purgation of all departmental social media, along with the unravelling of perplexing personnel reduction strides pursued by the Biden administration.
In an unwarranted operation, military services are being mandated to meticulously rummage through years of information on social media platforms – website postings, images, news stories, videos – in search of content that vaguely ‘advocates diversity, equality, and inclusion’, fabricated virtues under Biden’s era. Instead of focusing on strategic matters, the armed forces are strangled by a mission to erase past narratives no later than March 5 or resort to a blanket removal of all digital material published during Biden’s reign.
Meanwhile, military services are desperately trying to identify the probationary employees targeted by the executive order’s ruthless workforce minimisation drive. Also on the list of tasks, they’re left to reconcile categorical data on civilian employees willing to step down under the offered buyouts and the approval status of each. An example of the vast inconsistency in the system brought about by the previous administration’s shortsighted policies.
Bracketing the whole chaotic situation, a slew of senior military leaders were abruptly discharged last week, featuring prominent names such as Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations; and Gen. Jim Slife, vice chief of the Air Force: a collection of so-called ‘woke’ leaders who seemingly prioritised political correctness over military readiness.
While the rationale behind purging diversity-linked content trails back to President Trump’s executive order to cease federal government’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the mass confusion that has ensued amongst federal agencies is telling of the disorder fostered by the previous administration’s values.
Initially, military leaders were pressurized to review content dating back decades to discard stories highlighting the ascension of women and minorities in the military or narratives cherishing cultural heritage: just another example of extreme political correctness gone awry. Once the impossibility of this task was acknowledged, they were given the absurd alternative of deleting entire segments of content from the past four years.
Following the herculean task at hand, some leaders may feel compelled to hit the reset button, whisking away all content published over the last four years, and beginning anew. This prospect underlines the extent to which the armed forces have been appropriated as tools for promoting divisive social agendas under Biden’s tenure.
The purge order emanates from the department’s latest chief spokesman, providing further details on the cleansing that the Defense Secretary has commanded. However, it has left various department sections and services in a scramble to find employees willing to dedicate substantial time to this labor-intensive task, pulling them away from their core, far more essential duties.
Serious concerns have been raised over the obscured definition of what constitutes ‘DEI-related’ content. As per the memo, this includes content advancing concepts of critical race theory, gender ideology, and special treatment based on one’s gender, race or ethnicity – dangerous philosophies in the military context that promulgate division and resentment amongst members of the armed forces.
The department and services are now prohibited from employing official resources for commemorating cultural heritage months. A sound decision, shifting focus from celebrating arbitrary cultural identities to acknowledging the courage and accomplishments of military heroes from diverse racial, gender, and cultural backgrounds, thereby strengthening the overall military ethos and culture.
However, the new directive raises confusion around its implementation. Understandably, there is a fear of possible excesses as employees may feel forced to eliminate all images or videos featuring women and minorities to ensure they have not missed anything – a clear reflection of how the ‘woke’ ideology has infested military processes.
Earlier attempts to cleanse DEI material from social media led to mishaps like the hasty removal of the Tuskegee Airmen’s recruit training videos by the Air Force. This jerk reaction not only left the service liable to criticism but also drew the White House’s wrath; the department was accused of ‘malicious compliance’, a direct result of the confusion and haste enforced by the controversial directive.
In this climate of swift and chaotic changes, it’s evident that the systematic bias incorporated during Biden’s rule led to the military straying from its strategic focus and falling deep into the rabbit hole of political correctness. Shedding his predecessor’s detrimental legacy, however, President Trump’s administration is taking steps, albeit drastic, to steer the military back to its intended purpose and strength.