The cry of the progressives today is for diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE). This, essentially, means equal results for everyone, regardless of merit, ability, or effort.
The Department of Defense put out a message earlier this week about how "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Are Necessities In U.S. Military." Which is really reflective of the sad state of our military.
After seeing this message though, it is not surprising that you would see a headline like this come out of the Air Force Times:
So, despite being assured by the DoD that this commitment to DIE wouldn't result in lowering standards, this whistleblower report makes it seem like that is not true at all.
Air Force Special Operations Command boss Lt. Gen. Jim Slife is calling for an inspector general investigation after claims surfaced that his organization is unfairly pushing an unqualified female airman through special tactics officer training.
If she completes the program, she would become the first woman to make it into the elite special tactics field — a major win for the Air Force.
On Wednesday, however, an anonymous member of the AFSOC community raised questions in an letter about whether the airman is receiving preferential treatment to stay in the pipeline, despite allegedly quitting multiple times.
A special tactics source provided the full anonymous letter to Air Force Times on Thursday, as well as course records documenting an instance in which the female candidate self-eliminated during a land navigation event. Elements of the letter were corroborated by a second special tactics source who witnessed a separate instance in which the candidate quit in pool training.
So the airman in question is going through something similar to Army Green Beret or Navy SEALs training but for the Air Force. So, the Air Force, in the name of DIE, wants to have the first woman in a special tactics field in the entire military.
But, the woman they are trying to push through has QUIT MULTIPLE TIMES, disqualifying herself from the special tactics training. But, in their commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity, according to this corroborated whistleblower report, the Air Force continues to push her through the ranks.
The situation highlights fear in the special tactics community that Slife and other AFSOC officials want to push a woman through the pipeline at all costs to score political points that could lead to prestigious assignments and promotions.
"It seems like there's a mentality that we need to be on the cutting edge of this," a special tactics instructor familiar with the situation told Air Force Times. "It's like, we have someone that's close and need to make sure it happens."
Who could have imagined that perverse incentives to meet certain diversity quotas would result in a lowering of standards?
This is beyond lowering the pushup standards or those sorts of controversies of the past.
From the Washington Examiner:
The detailed anonymous letter reported 11 examples of unusual concessions that AFSOC extended to retain the female captain, even though she had not met longstanding standards and repeatedly dropped out of essential training events, such as rigorous diving exercises and solo land navigation. Air Force Times, which confirmed details with a second source, obtained performance forms and score charts that appeared to support the whistleblower's letter, and submitted them for comment to AFSOC Commander Lt. Gen. Jim Slife.
Slife did not refute specific allegations, citing privacy considerations, but he vehemently denied that AFSOC standards had changed: "While the standards remain the same, the norms have not." This is an equivocation, based on a half-truth.
So, there were 11 separate instances of "unusual concessions" meaning that this person was allowed to move up when others might not. 11 different times!
The female captain deadlifted 250 pounds, an impressive feat, but Special Tactics Officers (STOs) must deadlift 300 pounds, a test tied to mission requirements. A man who can lift 400 pounds still may not be qualified if he doesn't show the mental toughness needed to stay in training without quitting.
Nevertheless, when the female captain self-eliminated from strenuous diving and solo land navigation events, AFSOC commanders kept extending special career options to get her back in the ST squadron, where she will resume training soon. If true, responsibility for these extraordinary concessions belongs to SOCOM's "first ever" Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Richard Torres-Estrada, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and SOCOM Commander Gen. Clarke.
This is absolutely unconscionable behavior from our military leaders.
Wokeness and commitments to progressive political goals are destroying our military.
The rest of the world is training their armies based on capability, while in the US we are worried about an army that "reflects the diversity of America."
Absolutely inexcusable.
It's time the military swamp was drained.
