This edition of CMR E-Notes provides promising news and detailed information about ongoing efforts to restore non-discrimination and meritocracy in the military.  

You may have read that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently responded to pressures from members of Congress (and CMR) to end drag queen performances on military bases.  Nellis Air Force Base got Austin’s Memo and cancelled a June 1 drag queen performance, but festivities associated with LGBT Pride Month still are in full swing. Witness the spectacle that took place on the South Lawn of the White House, in the presence of the Commander-in-Chief. 

Americans have had enough! This week, starting on Wednesday, June 21, both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees will begin to vote on legislation to eliminate or mitigate woke-ism in the military with amendments to the FY 2024 Defense Authorization Act. The House Appropriations Committee (HAC) also is proposing legislation that would defund Defense Department offices and programs that impose wokeism in the military. 

Members of Congress should use both the power of the purse and the power of the U.S. Constitution to re-establish sound policies for our military to the greatest degree possible.  CMR will continue to report on administration efforts to impose woke policies in our military, and responses from Congress. 

A. Will Congress Meet the CMR Challenge?

The Center for Military Readiness is following many proposals to address controversial military/social issues that define wokeism, a problem that is not difficult to define:  Wokeism is progressivism, taken to extremes and imposed with coercion, even if it hurts the institution. 

 A number of issues included on this CMR Challenge: Strengthen Our Military – Secure American Freedoms are being addressed in both the House and Senate. These ideas are among the most promising, and most are being addressed in both the House and Senate: 

1. Meritocracy in the Military
2. Defunding DEI
3. Critical Race Theory (CRT)
4. Policies Affecting Persons Identifying as Transgender
5. Bill to Prohibit Drag Shows & “Adult Cabaret Performances”
6. Servicemember Parents Bill of Rights
7. Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) 
8. Reinstating Military Members Separated Due to COVID Mandates

For a detailed report and analysis of the various bills that will be coming up for consideration on Wednesday, June 21, click here:

Challenge for Congress: National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2024

To reach your own members of the Senate and House, call 202/224-3121, or use their individual website communication options available at Congress.gov. CMR will provide updates as the NDAA process continues.

B.  Articles of Interest

• Elaine Donnelly, The Federalist: Like Bud Light, the U.S. Navy Steps on a Rake With Drag Influencers

• Rep. Michael Waltz, the Heritage Foundation: Our Military Is in a Dangerous Decline and This Is the Reason Why

• Charise Trump: The Federalist: If Biden Gets His Way, Correct Pronouns Could be Harassment

• Dr. Mackubin Owens, Go Local News: The U.S. Military is in Trouble

• The Federalist: 160-Plus Retired Military Brass Urge Congress To Root Out DEI

• Glenn H. Reynolds, New York Post: The biggest threat to our military might be woke DEI indoctrination

• P.J. Media: New Poll on Transgender Rights Shows Americans Are Not “Deeply Divided” on the Issue

• Forrest Marion, Real Clear Defense: What Mao Taught Woke

• J.A. Cauthen, James G. Martin Center: Divide and Conquer: Radicalizing Military Education

• Hung Cao, The Spectator, The Military Recruitment Drought is a National Security Crisis 

Excerpt: “The fundamental problem with progressives is that they replace things that work with things that don’t. . . . Unfortunately for Americans of all political stripes, our national defense is one thing that must work.” (Hung Cao, who came to America from Vietnam and who served in Navy special operations, retired as a Captain, and ran for Congress in 2022)

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This informational paper was prepared by the Center for Military Readiness, an independent public policy organization that reports on and analyzes military/social issues, and does not constitute endorsement of legislation.  CMR President Elaine Donnelly can be reached at elaine@cmrlink.org, and more information is available at www.cmrlink.org.