A focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion has damaged the effectiveness of the U.S. military and hurt recruitment numbers.
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee grilled President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, on Tuesday. One exchange in particular highlighted the wrongheaded thinking that infects some in the current U.S. leadership and how it addresses the military’s challenges.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the panel, said in hostile questioning of Hegseth that the military is “more diverse than it has ever been” and that it is more lethal.
The military may be more “diverse” than it has ever been. However, it’s also getting smaller and faces severe readiness challenges.
As Vice President-elect JD Vance noted on X during the questioning, the military has suffered through an ongoing…
