The Biden administration sent its objections to the National Defense Authorization bill for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA FY24). The White House opposes merit-based military promotions, i.e. those that do not take into account the racial, gender or equity quotas imposed by Biden when he became president.
The House Armed Services Committee details the budgets for the Armed Forces and Defense policy. In several of its sections (364, 523, 566, 595, 596, 598, 904, and 1046), the NDAA proposes "data- and evidence-based" scales for designing the Armed Forces and choosing their members by 2024.
According to the Executive Office of the President, these sections of the NDAA come to undermine the administration's attempts to make the military a diverse organization. Diversity benchmarks in the military were stipulated in the White House's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) policy, which Biden imposed in 2021 for all federal agencies. The Republican-controlled commission's proposal also calls for ending the position of chief diversity officer at the Department of Defense (DOD). The position was especially controversial when the DOD had to terminate its diversity officer in March after instances of anti-white racism.
The FY24 #NDAA repeals the DoD’s unnecessary Chief Diversity Officer as well as requires the Secretary of Defense to assess and validate the need for every position in the DEI bureaucracy. #FY24NDAA
— Armed Services GOP (@HASCRepublicans) July 12, 2023
The Administration strongly opposes the House's broad attempts (sections 364, 523, 566, 595, 596, 598, 904, and 1046) to eliminate the Department's longstanding DEIA efforts and related initiatives to promote a cohesive and inclusive force. As articulated in the NDS 2022, one of the Department's top priorities is to build a resilient Joint Force and defense enterprise. The Department of Defense's (DoD) strategic advantage in a complex global security environment is the diverse and dynamic talent pool from which we draw. We depend on diverse perspectives, experiences and skills to remain a world leader, deter war and keep our nation safe. In addition, the DoD is committed to developing and maintaining a dignified, respectful and safe workplace. Legislation that reduces DoD's ability to create a positive work environment and take full advantage of the best our nation has to offer puts the Department at a strategic disadvantage.
Woke culture, the "cancer" of the Armed Forces
Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, told the New York Post that "White House opposition to my amendments is a badge of honor."
"Woke-ism is a cancer that will destroy our Armed Forces from within if we don't stop it," Banks added. The representative assures however that his contributions to the NDAA are not totally incompatible with Biden's DEIA. They encourage promotions and hiring to be made "on the basis of merit, with the goal of promoting those individuals who exhibit the talent and capabilities necessary to promote the national security of the United States."
🔥“What we're trying to do is move to a colorblind, race-neutral worldview where we're focused on building a national defense and a military that is focused on, you know, blowing things up and killing people, not on social engineering wrapped in a uniform.” pic.twitter.com/73K3DTZK5X
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) July 11, 2023
Chip Roy, another proponent of the contentious sections of the NDAA, asserts that the amendments are aimed at making the military effective and lethal. "What we're trying to do is move to a colorblind, race-neutral worldview," Roy said in a statement to the media.
The NDAA will be debated this Thursday in the House. In addition to affirmative action policies, it addresses serious issues such as recruitment problems, troop morale and the war in Ukraine.
