Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has introduced a bill that would eliminate the positions of Chief Diversity Officer and Senior Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion at the Pentagon or any other similar position, Breitbart News can exclusively reveal.
Roy said in a statement:
The Pentagon’s job is to develop our men and women in the Armed Forces into a united, lethal, and battle-ready force to defeat our enemies and defend our interests. It is not supposed to be a woke social engineering experiment wrapped in a uniform. The American people gave House Republicans the power of the purse in November; we need to deliver on our promises and restore mission focus to our Armed Forces.
The bill is called the “Restoring Military Focus Act,” and would eliminate the position of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer appointed by the Secretary of Defense, eliminate the Senior Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion appointed by the Secretary of each military department, and prohibit the use of federal funds to establish any similar positions at the Department of Defense.
An explainer of the bill stated, “We need to stop the politicization of the Department of Defense and keep our Armed Forces focused on their goal of defending our national security. The Restoring Military Focus Act is an important and necessary step to push back against the progressive agenda at the Department of Defense.”
The Navy recently hosted an “inaugural diversity, equity, and inclusion summit” for information warfare sailors. https://t.co/tzrYpInMC9
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 13, 2022
“Not only are these positions a waste of hard earned tax-payers dollars, but they also undermine and distract from the purpose of the U.S. military,” it said.
The Act would repeal Sec. 913 of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which codified the appointment of those positions into law. The 2021 NDAA stated:
The Chief Diversity Officer (1) is responsible for providing advice on policy, oversight, guidance, and coordination for all matters of the Department of Defense related to diversity and inclusion; (2) advises the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the military departments, and the heads of all other elements of the Department with regard to matters of diversity and inclusion; (3) shall establish and maintain a Department of Defense strategic plan that publicly states a diversity definition, vision, and goals for the Department; (4) shall define a set of strategic metrics that are directly linked to key organizational priorities and goals, actionable, and actively used to implement the strategic plan under paragraph (3); (5) shall advise in the establishment of training in diversity dynamics and training in practices for leading diverse groups effectively; (6) shall advise in the establishment of a strategic plan for diverse participation by institutions of higher education (including historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions), federally funded research and development centers, and individuals in defense-related research, development, test, and evaluation activities; (7) shall advise in the establishment of a strategic plan for outreach to, and recruiting from, untapped locations and underrepresented demographic groups; (8) shall coordinate with, and be supported by, the Office of People Analytics on studies, assessments, and related work relevant to diversity and inclusion; and (9) shall perform such additional duties and exercise such powers as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe.’
The effective date of that provision was February 1, 2021.
Republicans now control the House and have greater influence on policy at the Pentagon and the ability to provide stronger oversight.
So far, Roy’s bill has 10 co-sponsors, including GOP Reps. Ralph Norman (SC), Paul Gosar (AZ), Dan Crenshaw (TX), Matt Rosendale (AZ), Andy Ogles (TN), Mary Miller (IL), Josh Brecheen (OK), Cory Mills (FL), Dan Bishop (TX), and Tom McClintock (CA).
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