Another likely factor hindering the Navy’s ability to bring in new talent is the U.S. military’s embrace of DEI, a neo-Marxist ideology that dismisses merit in favor of personal characteristics such as race. In May 2021, for instance, Navy leadership issued a memo outlining an action plan to promote DEI throughout the branch.

More recently, the Navy got caught employing an enlisted drag queen to help with its “Digital Ambassador” online recruiting program. After facing backlash from military veterans and congressional Republicans, the Navy confirmed in a letter to Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville last month that the program has been discontinued.

Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley — the active-duty drag queen who partook in the “Digital Ambassador” program — has since been referred to the Navy for investigation for allegedly violating existing military protocols. According to the complaint filed by America First Legal, Kelley purportedly “engaged in partisan activity, behaved in ways that discredit the military, publicly criticized his command, and misused his uniform for personal gain” while serving in the Navy.

[Quelle surprise on all counts. The real issue in recruitment is that the US is producing less-healthy youth these days, in both body and spirit. Shawn discusses that as well, and that should be *very* concerning for our long-range nat-sec needs. But the DEI stuff clearly hasn’t helped, and it’s very likely hurting both recruitment and mission focus. — Ed]