Is the Biden Administration "Budlighting" the U.S. Military?
DoD policies are making it harder for Christians to serve—hence why we see the recruiting disaster.
Like the U.S. Military, the King of Beers is finding out what happens when you pay homage to the newest cultural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion stunts. While the middle-class revolt against Bud Light’s decision to sponsor trans activist Dylan Mulvaney is growing, it is unsurprising. The Biden Administration is seeing similar revolts in military recruiting across all services. Biden’s push to normalize transitioning minors into gender changes on military installations and DoD schools will have lasting impacts on recruiting—case and point. A shocking video is going viral on Twitter, where a U.S. Navy official in Bahrain told a group of Sailors about the Navy's policy to talk to Children as young as 12 about gender identity without parental notification. The video was posted by social media influencer Robby Starbuck and has received 4.4 million views. See Link Navy Official Circumvent Parental Rights
Navy Nurse Practitioner Nichole Benson seems to be saying that parents not accepting the trans agenda is the reason for suicides, and parents must get on board with the gender-affirming transitions. DoD's using Marxist manipulation ploys to get parents on board with gender transitions is shocking. When a Sailor respectfully asked the Navy official if it was the "Navy's policy to circumvent the rights of parents,"— she answered an empathic "Yes"! Circumventing the parental rights of our service members' minor children is beyond belief. The remarks and the policy should come as no surprise.
As Amy Haywood reported in the Daily Signal in 2021, Why Are Defense Department Schools Transitioning Students’ Gender Behind Parents’ Backs? "As parental outrage with "progressive" curriculums—for example, comprehensive sex education, gender identity, and "anti-racist" programs—sweeps across the country, military parents have good reasons to be up in arms."
Department of Defense schools are "helping children change their names and pronouns at school behind parents' backs." As Haywood points out, this is a clear violation of the Constitution. Parents have the right to oversee the care, education, and control of their children is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. Affirmed by the Supreme Court in 1923 in Meyer v. Nebraska and as recently as 2000 in Troxel v. Granville. Regardless of the constitutional violations, the problem for the U.S. military is that this is on a collision course with the military's base of recruits, which have won American wars for over 200 years. Recently the Pentagon has argued that the services’ continuing recruiting woes are due primarily to the strong civilian job market and widening societal divides. Despite Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley constantly making this argument, it’s not holding water!
A 2017 Barna Group survey points out that a sample of U.S. military members states: Biblical ideals either "very" (26%) or "somewhat" (46%) represent their beliefs. That's 72%! Fast-forward six years, and the Biden administration woke DoD policies from abortion on demand to taxpayer-funded abortions, promoting drag queen shows on military bases, lowering fitness standards for gender integration, and the gender-identity policies for military minors are wreaking havoc on service members and their families. Moreover, recruiting for all services is at one of the lowest points in modern history.
As a twenty-eight-year Army veteran, this is a sad state affair for our Armed Forces, but as a disciple of Jesus, the question is, are our Biblical values still welcome in the U.S. Military? The question is relevant because it will drastically affect the future of our military. The timing couldn't be worse. It started with Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. And with the recent Pentagon leaks claiming Russia's success in Ukraine, China's sights on Taiwan, and Iran's proxy war in Israel, we desperately need a strong all-volunteer force from all parts of the country. It doesn't take the brains of an Archbishop or the genius of Carl Clauswitze to figure out that the woke policies have drastically affected recruiting. However, the real reason that recruiting is collapsing is geography and Christianity.
Geography has traditionally explained where we get our recruits and offers one of the best explanations for the recruiting disaster. Since the inception of the all-volunteer military, it has often been "self-selecting ." Most Military posts and bases reside in Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Alabama, and Florida. Base locations greatly influence the assumptions, beliefs, values, and attitudes towards service most proximate to these military facilities.
According to a DoD study in 2009, a statistical analysis of population representation in the all-volunteer military from 1973 to 2009 indicates that most recruits came from Red States. For years the Democrats despised this fact but conveniently overlooked it because a small percentage of the population continually volunteered to serve and fight wars. The western and especially the southern region of the United States historically played a disproportionate role in military accessions. These two regions have traditionally accounted for 67% of military recruits. Likewise, the preference to serve in the military across the country is most pronounced in rural areas and small towns—an inclination beyond these communities' share of the population. On a side note, before Bud Light’s sponsorship of Dylan Mulvaney, you could bet these communities were die-hard Bud Light drinkers! But it wasn't always about politics and geography.
Since the inception of the U.S. military, Christianity has always played a vital role, especially in the all-volunteer force. For the past 50 years, military recruits have increasingly volunteered from a segment of society with a strong cultural affiliation with biblical values and the military lifestyle. The Biblical values were not limited to white males—instead, they included a large swath of African -Americans and Hispanic service members. In 2007 Sociologist Michael Lindsay wrote in the Journal of Political and Military Sociology, "Evangelicals became prominent players in the U.S. Military." Recruiters "sold" a lifestyle that stressed respect for authority, discipline, family values, and a commitment to a higher cause. Amazingly the Army has recently recognized this dynamic, evidenced by the new “Be All That You Can Be” commercial that was so popular back in the 1980s. The Army now realizes you can’t throw away the segment of society that kept America safe. But is it too late? Time will tell.
Akinly similar to Bud Light's disastrous force feed of trans ideologies on their base. DoD needs to remember who its most essential customers are! The similarities are striking. The same lower middle-class recruits from small towns across America, where Dollar General stores reign with Rodeos, Friday Night Lights, kegs of Bud Light in every bar, and a Baptist Church on every corner. Whether the Biden administration likes it or not, this segment of society keeps our military the best in the world. Without them, we will not have a military capable of defending the economic interest of America! Like Bud Light, I am not optimistic that this will end well. Sadly, the stakes won't be a collapse of a great beer company but rather the destruction of the greatest military in the history of the Universe! Pray for our County and our Military!