Military recruitment in the United States is way down at the same time as the Biden administration is driving out so-called "White supremacists" (anybody who voted for Trump or believes in the Constitution), those opposed to taking the COVID vaccine due to religious or health concerns or natural immunity, and people who refuse to use the preferred pronouns of gender activists.  The result of all this is a neutered and divided military increasingly unable to fight and win wars.

Recent polling by the University of Chicago found that two thirds of Republican and independent voters and 51 percent of self-described "very liberal" voters agree that the U.S. government is "corrupt and rigged against everyday people like me."  Trust in all our institutions is falling, and the military is no exception.

A December 2021 survey by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute determined that Americans' strong confidence and trust in our military had declined from 70 percent to 45 percent over the previous three years, with 11 percent of that collapse happening just since February 2021, a month after President Biden took office.  The disastrous pullout of American troops from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021, leaving Americans, allies, and more than $7 billion in weapons and equipment behind, also played a part in the steep decline.  Our increasingly "woke" military is losing the hearts and minds of the American people.

Young Americans join the military for a variety of reasons, but patriotism is a common element.  Critical Race Theory (CRT) indoctrination is now required throughout our Armed Forces, including at our military academies.  CRT teaches that our nation is systemically racist and that all White people are essentially evil.  It decries our Founding Fathers, our Constitution, our institutions, our capitalist economy, and our entire way of life as irredeemably bigoted. 

The military's brothers and sisters in arms fight for one another more than for any other reason.  CRT's denigration of the White race is itself profoundly bigoted; just read some of their literature and substitute "Black" for every mention of "White," and you'll see.  There used to be a saying in the Army that the only race and color in the military was olive drab.  CRT is highly divisive, pitting the races against one another and undermining the teamwork required for success in battle.  It should have no place within our military, yet progressive politicians and bureaucrats at the highest levels are mandating its instruction, and woke generals and admirals are saluting smartly and implementing policies that are damaging unit cohesion and morale.

So, too, are transgenderism and gender-fluidity indoctrination.  Free military health care does not provide for breast augmentation and other cosmetic surgeries.  Under Biden's direction, the services are now required to accept transgender recruits, and you can bet your bottom dollar — all our dollars, actually — that highly expensive "gender reassignment" surgeries are on the way to a military hospital near you.  Not only do these surgeries cost significant amounts of money, but they also are grueling, with long recovery times, making such patients unfit for duty.

Military leaders already are prodding servicemen to utilize the preferred pronouns of non-binary personnel.  Rest assured: they will be mandatory soon.  A recent news report reveals that the Army already has cautioned soldiers not to complain about having to shower with transgender personnel who have not reconstructed their genitals.

"Respect" officers at our service academies and within the military now conduct indoctrination sessions to pressure troops into embracing and celebrating that which they know to be untrue.  These "Respect" officers are the modern American version of Soviet and Nazi political commissars, who could cost uncareful soldiers and commanders their lives.   Not only do these policies harm recruitment, but they also promote risk-aversity and command hesitancy, the last things you need in a professional fighting force.

Hand in hand with CRT and transgenderism, so-called "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" initiatives also are weakening our military.  Diversity for the sake of diversity is not a sound policy for the military.  Unity is.  Unity of purpose.  Unity of a band of brothers willing to die for one another.  DEI foments politically correct groupthink and produces "pajama boy" soldiers as opposed to "toxically masculine" warriors.  Which do you trust to win wars?  "Equity and inclusion," as interpreted by the Biden regime, means unequal treatment and advancement based on race or sexual orientation as opposed to merit.  Under the current regime, America's general officers and admirals are selected for promotion largely on the basis of their wokeness rather than their ability to lead troops, win wars, and protect the homeland.

With global war between the West and a nuclear-armed Russia-China axis a distinct possibility, given the conflict in Ukraine and China's ambitions toward Taiwan, whom do you trust to lead our nation down the difficult path ahead?  Woke flag officers with lucrative defense industry positions upon retirement (provided they salute, behave, and proselytize on behalf of policies they know to be counterproductive)?  Or straight-talking warriors like Patton and Halsey?

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley (YouTube screen grab).

As for the troops, ask yourself this: why would anyone put his life on the line to serve a country he's been taught is so fundamentally racist and evil?

Tony Lentini is a 1971 West Point graduate who served five years in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of captain.  After military service, he joined the energy industry, ultimately serving as vice president of public affairs for two independent oil and gas exploration and production companies.  His responsibilities included energy policy, investor relations, international relations, crisis management and corporate communications.  He's a member of STARRS (Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services), a veterans' group whose mission is to educate the American people on the dangers of a woke military.