Nobody understood the concept of “peace through strength” better than President George Washington. During his first annual address to Congress, the former commander-in-chief of the Continental Army spoke of the role a nation’s military plays in maintaining stability, stating, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”
Washington’s words became the de facto blueprint for America’s foreign policy in the centuries that followed. What was once a small force of ragtag patriots overtime grew into the strongest military power the world has ever seen. From World War I to the Cold War, the U.S. military became the “big stick” America carried when confronting adversarial powers and deterring conflict throughout the world.
But what happens to America and the global security environment when the former’s greatest security system gets hijacked by Constitution-hating leftists? Unfortunately, it’s a question Americans are getting answers to in real time.
While largely ignored by corporate media, the House Armed Services Committee held a hearing late last week about a U.S. Army base designating several pro-life organizations as “terrorist groups.” Yes, you read that correctly. The Army instructed roughly 9,100 soldiers over a seven-year period that Operation Rescue and National Right to Life are entities affiliated with terrorism.
Lt. Gen. Patrick Matlock, the branch’s deputy chief of staff, told lawmakers the briefing materials were pulled after they were exposed, but declined to say whether the individual responsible for their creation has faced any disciplinary actions, according to the Military Times.
While certainly alarming, the incident is but a microcosm of the neo-Marxist ideology wreaking havoc on America’s premiere fighting force that’s worsened under the Biden-Harris administration. Radical leftists occupying positions of power throughout the Pentagon have spent years destroying the meritocratic system that’s made the military great for generations.
Should Kamala Harris succeed in her presidential bid this November, the left-wing reimagining of the U.S. armed forces and the consequences it will reap will get much worse.
The Rise of DEI
It doesn’t take much hypothesizing to determine how a President Harris would approach internal military affairs given her role as Joe Biden’s sidekick.
Shortly after taking power, the Biden-Harris administration got to work in mandating all federal agencies — including the Defense Department — implement so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies throughout their respective workforces. Colloquially known as “DEI,” this offshoot of Marxist orthodoxy dismisses merit in favor of characteristics such as race or sexual orientation.
To help carry out their destructive mission, the Biden-Harris White House has spent the past four years promoting numerous DEI-pushing individuals to the highest-ranking positions in the military. These officials have espoused extreme left-wing views, such as championing punishments for Americans who didn’t get the Covid shot and saying service members would be “naive” to believe that so-called “institutional racism” doesn’t affect the military.
Given this brass of “leadership,” it’s no surprise the military has stepped up its embrace of LGBT radicalism. While the Navy has deployed enlisted drag queens as “digital ambassadors,” the Air Force has wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars flying service members to branch “pride” events. And who could forget the numerous celebrations hosted by America’s military bases commemorating “pride” month?
Service Members Suffer
Being suffocated with neo-Marxist drivel is only part of the suffering endured by today’s U.S. service members, however. The Biden-Harris administration has made it abundantly clear it couldn’t care less about the enlisted Americans willing to sacrifice their lives for their country.
The Democrat duo was more than OK with kicking more than 8,400 service members out of the military for refusing to get an experimental mRNA jab. It didn’t matter to them that these troops were healthy and unlikely to succumb to the virus; or that the shots didn’t stop viral transmission; or that their own agencies secretly acknowledged the shots demonstrated serious risks.
What mattered was making an example of them and letting other service members know that refusal to bow down to left-wing authoritarianism will not be tolerated.
[READ: American Troops Go Unpaid While The Pentagon Bankrolls Abortions And Ukraine’s Forever War]
This dismissive attitude toward the well-being of America’s troops was further evident following the administration’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal that got 13 service members killed. Biden repeatedly looked at his watch during the dignified transfer ceremony, while Harris didn’t even bother to show up to the solemn event.
Neither Democrat has bothered to reach out and console the affected Gold Star families. Nor is any individual known to have been fired or held responsible for the catastrophic pull-out. Biden has, however, pretended these troops’ deaths never happened, while Harris has weaponized their passings to smear Donald Trump.
[RELATED: Is It Too Much To Ask That Congress Clothe Our Marines Instead Of Financing Ukraine’s Forever War?]
With this type of grotesque disregard, combined with military leadership’s DEI obsessions, it’s no wonder Biden and Harris’ reign has brought about the worst recruiting crisis in modern U.S. history. Last year, every branch with the exception of the Marine Corps and Space Force missed their recruiting targets.
Without adequate manpower, the military’s ability to operate effectively domestically and internationally is severely limited.
One Last Chance
The fallout from the left’s social experiment on our military cannot be understated. Unlike under Trump, when the U.S. and its military were feared and respected, the Biden-Harris administration has produced an image of weakness to the world — and America’s adversaries are acting on it.
In less than four years, Russia invaded Ukraine; Iran-backed terror groups are launching deadly attacks on U.S. service members and Israel; China has ramped up its aggressive actions toward Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines; and North Korea is firing off missiles like there’s no tomorrow.
No honest person can say that a Harris presidency would deter any of those actions. In fact, it’s safe to assume the global security environment would get exponentially worse and these powers would advance their interests even further. Russian President Vladimir Putin tacitly telegraphed this to be the case by throwing his support behind Harris’ White House bid earlier this month.
A Trump presidency may be Americans’ last chance to restore the U.S. military to the meritocratic fighting force it once was and bring about world peace. Whether voters take that opportunity remains to be seen.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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