Governments, like people, all too often adopt beliefs that are not true. As the opening quotation from the movie The Big Short asserted: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” And when those who believe for sure what “just ain’t so” include the Pentagon leadership, then America is in trouble. The promise of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) falls squarely in the “just ain’t so” category, as corporations are finding out. Will the Pentagon be the last to get it?
DEI Is a Failure When Performance Is Demanded
Many have seen all too well the performance of federal agencies that emphasize DEI over the quality of personnel. The Pentagon has favored DEI theories over merit for nearly four years, and there has been little to impede this trend – until now. President-elect Donald Trump will no doubt apply the brakes to DEI as he did in his first administration.
“To further advance equity within the Federal Government, this order establishes that it is the policy of my Administration to cultivate a workforce that draws from the full diversity of the Nation,” were the words codified in an executive order signed by President Joe Biden during his first year in office. Since then, the divisive nature of the DEI ideology has had a chilling effect on recruiting and retention.
What the Pentagon should find particularly worrying is a recent report in The Wall Street Journal:
“The focus on DEI is driving an especially profound disillusionment among conservative veterans, the military’s longstanding support bedrock. Between 2019 and 2024, the percentage of conservative veterans who would advise a young family member to join the military declined from 88% to 53%. That almost entirely explains the shift in the broader veteran population. Far more conservative veterans cited the ‘military’s DEI and other social policies’ as a ‘major factor’ (85%) in withholding their endorsement.”
This is especially troublesome since 80% of volunteers for military service have family members who were in the military.
It’s more than likely that the US government’s DEI programs will be short-lived under a Trump presidency. The real question is, why were they installed in the first place? Evidence is building that whatever motives existed for embracing the DEI craze are rapidly disappearing. Many corporations that adopted the flawed notion are backing away.
Aerospace and defense giant Boeing is the most recent to ditch DEI. “Boeing reportedly dismantled its global diversity, equity, and inclusion department as part of an overhaul of its operations ordered by the company’s new top executive — becoming the latest major company to ditch the controversial initiative,” according to The New York Post. Dissolving DEI comes on the heels of billionaire Elon Musk criticizing Boeing for “prioritizing DEI over safety and quality controls.”
Boeing is not the only company that is repudiating DEI. “First Tractor Supply and John Deere; then Harley-Davidson and Brown-Foreman Corp., then Ford and Molson Coors” are among Fortune 500 companies dropping DEI as corporate objectives, HR Drive reported. You would think that US government agencies would view this trend as a cautionary tale prompting a review of DEI initiatives. One might expect Pentagon leadership to understand that if DEI has failed in business, it is not worth pursuing as a mission goal for the nation’s defense.
The US Military Cannot Fail to Keep Americans Safe
While Americans depend on the US Armed Forces to keep them safe, the Pentagon is mired in the diversity, equity, and inclusion ethos, prioritizing the tenet that DEI delivers a military that mirrors society. At some level, it does that. But it is pure mythology that such a military service would be preferable to a fighting force focused on relevant accomplishments and skills.
The Pentagon should observe the trend of corporations moving away from DEI and follow suit before it is ordered to by its new commander-in-chief. As the saying goes, “A new broom sweeps clean.” DEI will be something in the dustbin, unencumbered by the past.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
