The Biden-Harris administration has been accused of misusing taxpayer funds to promote divisive ideologies based on identity politics within the military.
This has raised concerns among conservatives who believe in limited government intervention and the preservation of traditional values.
As reported by WND, a nonpartisan report revealed that the Defense Department has been allocating millions of dollars to external organizations to further diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These initiatives include race-based career advancement programs within the U.S. military.
One such initiative saw the University of Missouri-Kansas City receiving $760,000 from the Department of the Navy. This funding was used to develop a program that would favor non-white students and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs applying for Defense Department jobs. In another instance, Cornell University was granted approximately $202,000 to provide diversity training aimed at ensuring readiness and addressing discriminatory behavior. Between 2022 and 2024, a significant amount of money was used to support the Pentagon's DEI agenda.
Tom Burbage, a retired military officer and current president of an organization opposing divisive ideologies and identity politics within the armed forces, expressed his concerns to WND. "Over the last 10 years," Burbage stated, "increasing levels of government funding has incentivized the growth of what is today a multi-billion-dollar DEI market."
Burbage argued that this has been a concerted effort to modify government institutions to support this ideology. He believes that the military, which should be the last government bastion affected by money directed towards promoting identity politics, is being undermined. "DEI is the antithesis of the culture of the military," he said, adding that these financial incentives have taken deep roots.
Burbage quoted Upton Sinclair, the renowned novelist and social reformer, saying, "It's difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it." He contrasted this with the corporate world, where companies are retreating from the ideology movement due to shareholder pressure.
In the government, however, Burbage noted that the money is still hidden within various budget pockets to support the ideology because there's no such thing as shareholder incentive. He lamented that the push for DEI ideology has significantly contributed to the massive shortfalls in recruiting and readiness issues that our military is experiencing today.
Burbage holds senior military leadership responsible for this situation. He recalled a purge of military leadership over a decade ago, after which leadership promotion began to focus on individuals willing to carry forward the DEI message.
Given the high risk of military action in today's world, Burbage emphasized the importance of understanding the cause and effect of policies supporting anything other than recruiting, retention, readiness, and lethality. He expressed hope that the increasingly divisive and unpopular DEI campaign dominating Americas military institutions will begin to "flame out" sooner rather than later.
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