Military academies’ diversity efforts draw GOP concerns, Dem support
By Leo Shane III
Jul 19, 03:55 PM
Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday took aim at the military service academies’ diversity and inclusion efforts as a potential distraction from war fighting prowess, and pledged to force changes in the future to end those practices.
But military leaders and Democratic representatives defended the work as critical to force readiness and national security, and accused Republicans of inflating how much time and focus is spent on the effort.
The scene at the House Armed Services Committee mirrored hearings in recent months where GOP lawmakers have decried what they see as “destructive, political ideology” permeating the armed forces. That has prompted growing tensions among members of the panel, with each side accusing the other of damaging the non-partisan nature of the military.
Wednesday’s hearing was prompted in part by the Supreme Court decision last month striking down affirmative action in college admissions but exempting the military education institutions “in light of the potentially distinct interests that military academies may present.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2023/07/19/military-academies-diversity-efforts-draw-gop-concerns-dem-support/
