In Congress, I sit on the House Armed Services Committee. I’m proud to support our men and women in uniform, while working to further strengthen our military and defense footprint in Alabama. Our military is the strongest and most capable in the world because of our unmatched technology and the unwavering dedication of our service members.
The primary mission of our military is to defend America and keep our enemies at bay. For more than two centuries, our military has been the toughest and most effective on the face of the planet, and we owe these brave men and women for keeping us free. Unfortunately, the woke leftism infiltrating our military’s civilian leadership in recent months poses a direct threat to the strength and capabilities of our fighting forces.
While countries like Russia are running military recruiting ads highlighting the toughness required to be in their ranks, the U.S. military and CIA are running recruiting ads celebrating the diversity of the race, gender and sexuality of their recruits, rather than recruiting people based on their physical and mental ability to serve. Any person – regardless of race, gender or sexuality – who wants to sign up to defend our great nation should be allowed to do so, but their race, gender or sexuality should not be the primary reason they are hired.
People join the military because they want to serve their country by keeping it safe, being a force for good in the world, and fighting terrorism. This is why my son joined the Marines, and it’s why so many of our fellow Americans have answered the call to serve voluntarily. Our leaders should be focused on training and equipping our soldiers, airmen and sailors to carry out their primary mission rather than wasting time and money on distractions like diversity and inclusion training, which do nothing more than weaken and divide us.
Whether it’s Russian or Chinese aggression, or Iran’s continual build-out of its nuclear program, we have serious threats across the globe. Now, more than ever, it’s absolutely critical for the United States to maintain the strongest and most effective fighting force in the world. Rather than using our military to engage in a destructive and dangerous woke cultural crusade, we should be focused on recruiting the very best qualified men and women to protect and defend the United States of America for generations to come.
Jerry Carl represents Alabama’s First Congressional District. He lives in Mobile with his wife Tina.
