Trump Shakes Up Military Leadership in DEI Crackdown

What’s happening

The Trump administration, continuing its crusade against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the military, recently took decisive action at the Pentagon by firing several senior military leaders, including Biden-appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown Jr. The administration is also pushing for mass layoffs in the civilian workforce and sweeping spending cuts.

The facts

→ President Trump fired Gen. CQ Brown and appointed Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, a veteran of national security roles including at the CIA, who Trump claimed helped to wipe out ISIS during his first term in office.

→The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff serves as the top military advisor to the President, providing strategic guidance on military operations, advising on defense policy, and coordinating between the various branches of the US military.

→ Gen. CQ Brown vehemently promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the Air Force, focusing on increasing minority recruitment to meet racial quotas.

→ In a 2020 video, he stated his intent to “make improvements personally, professional, and institutionally, so that all Airmen … appreciate the value of diversity.”

→ In 2022, he discussed capping credits for the number of flight lessons or flying time for each airman candidate, essentially lowering the standards to ensure increased minority enrollment.

→ Gen. CQ Brown also oversaw the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and a steep decline in military recruitment in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

→ The mainstream media and Democrats are furious over the move. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said that Gen. CQ Brown’s firing sends “a dangerous message to the military” because President Trump just wants loyalists.

→ However, Brown’s firing is part of Trump’s broader military shake-up, including the firing of other high-ranking officials to ensure the military is focused purely on merit and warfighting.

Our insights

President Trump is making good on his promise to eliminate woke ideology from the military and the federal government more broadly. DEI detracts from the military’s core mission of being an efficient and lethal fighting force, which is evident in plummeting recruitment numbers and lower admission standards.

Furthermore, China’s military is growing rapidly. Its navy is the largest and most modern in the world. Their industrial base is far more expansive than that of the United States, with their shipbuilding capacity being 230 times greater. With China’s expansionist ambitions, combined with the Islamist threat in the Middle East and increasingly in Europe, the US cannot afford to let DEI dominate its military.