Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion: A Closer Look

Formation and Purpose of DACODAI

In September 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACODAI). A year later, under the leadership of former USAA Chairman of the Board and DEI advocate General (ret) Lester Lyles, the committee began its mission to incorporate DEI into every aspect of the military. Much like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which presents a skewed view of climate change and insists on a strict net-zero carbon emission program, DACODAI sees the issues faced by the military in simplistic terms caused by fabricated villains—discrimination, oppressive hierarchies, and victimhood. Despite publicly advocating for merit-based, cohesive military doctrines, DACODAI persistently and covertly promotes DEI.

Public Participation in DACODAI Meetings

In theory, the public is permitted to attend and voice concerns at DACODAI meetings. However, a group of men and women from STARRS, a veterans’ organization critical of DEI and similar programs that undermine military readiness and morale, were denied participation in DACODAI's meetings scheduled in May 2024. Initially, General Lyles agreed to allow testimony from several prominent observers with extensive ties within the military community, but the invitation was abruptly canceled without explanation.

Virtual Attendance and Public Input

Instead, all parties were offered the option of virtual attendance at the proceedings but without the ability to comment or question board members. While the committee acknowledged public input from over two dozen sources and posted them on its website, no discussion followed regarding the substantive content of the statements. This disregard for public input highlights the opaque, ideological mindset of the DACODAI leadership, which ultimately limited access by restricting the number of observers to 100 enrollees.

DEI's Impact on the Military

DEI has been present within the military for over a decade. Few generals and admirals have had the courage to oppose Marxist propaganda enablers like DACODAI and reveal its harmful effects, choosing instead to remain anonymous and concede the ideological battlefield to politically driven activists. The question arises whether the current surplus of officers are cut from the same cloth as the generals and admirals who led this nation's military through its most challenging times.

Previous Attempts at Social Experimentation

DEI is not the first comprehensive attempt to introduce social experimentation into the armed forces. During the Vietnam War, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara initiated Project 100,000 with the altruistic idea that military service should be accessible to all elements of society, including the intellectually challenged. The project's enlistees all scored less than 91 on IQ tests and almost half less than 71—the lowest 2% of all test takers. These recruits experienced a casualty rate twice that of other cohorts, and their inability to perform adequately in combat placed other soldiers' lives at risk. Upon return to civilian life, veterans from Project 100,000 suffered high rates of PTSD, and when compared to low aptitude non-veterans experienced reduced salaries, higher divorce rates, and lower educational achievement.

Transgender Service Members and DEI

The issue of transgender individuals serving in the military is another example where the idealist's view of fairness, as seen from the DEI perspective, concludes that one's individual wishes should take precedence over the needs of the military. The medical and psychological needs of transgenders are numerous. Military-age transgenders experience the highest suicide rates of all transgenders, who as a whole commit suicide at alarming rates. Given current military regulations, transgenders under medical care are essentially nondeployable due to complicated medical needs.

DEI and Military Readiness

The notion that a superior military organization is based on the accumulation of individuals with eccentric personality traits or strict proportions of desired phenotypes is a fallacy. The public is beginning to understand the extent of this manipulative disconnect from reality. Leaders like Robin Olds and Chesty Puller inspire warriors to risk injury and death in the service of the country, not obese 4-star admirals, who are the darlings of the media and describe adolescent transgender surgery as "life-saving gender affirming care."

Professional Sports and Military Service

Contrary to the progressive narrative that it is fair and a right that all Americans have the opportunity to serve in the armed forces, it is more unfair to put the group and mission at risk by admitting members who are unable to meet definitive standards, demonstrate group loyalty, and fulfill mandatory responsibilities. Professional sports, the ultimate meritocracy, provide a vivid analogy that success is intimately tied to individual ability and teamwork. In a win-or-lose scenario where lives are at risk, one must be capable and ever on the alert, because the ball is coming your way.

Addressing Military Issues

The most pressing issues affecting the military are best resolved through open communication with innovative leaders committed to the best interests of the country and those who serve. DACODAI symbolizes the entrenched bureaucracy, whose handpicked members are tasked to defend DEI—Marx's latest failure to transform society—and lay the blame for poor morale, inadequate enlistments, falling standards, and diminished operational readiness on fabricated perpetrators. The committee avoids diverse opinions, constructive criticism, and public disclosure as much as the Morlocks shunned light in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine.

What's Your Take?

This issue certainly raises some thought-provoking questions about the role of DEI in the military. What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you agree or disagree with the points raised in this article? Share this article with your friends and start a conversation. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is every day at 6pm.