Why Is the U.S. Military Fighting American Freedom Harder Than Foreign Threats?
https://thefederalist.com/2021/06/30/why-is-the-u-s-military-fighting-american-freedom-harder-than-foreign-threats/  Corporate media and progressives found a new darling in Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after his congressional testimony last week. Anyone who dared to criticize him was blasted as either unpatriotic or demonstrating white rage.  Republicans have criticized the U.S. military for promoting books that advocate for racial divisions  for example, listing Ibram Kendis critical race theory gospel, How to Be an Antiracist, as reading for sailors in the U.S. Navy. During his testimony, Milley made it clear he didnt see anything wrong with training the U.S. military in critical race theory. Milley Defends Racist Indoctrination  Ive read Mao Zedong. Ive read Karl Marx. Ive read Lenin, he argued. That doesnt make me a communist. Many advocates of critical race theorys racist teachings have made similar arguments about teaching it in K-12 schools, claiming it is just one of many ideas students are taught. But the generals own words quickly betrayed the notion that books about critical race theory are casual reading assignments simply for soldiers intellectual curiosity. Referencing the events at the U.S. Capitol in January, he stated: I want to understand white rage. And Im white.  The phrase white rage is CRT newspeak, implying that rage has a color, and it is exclusively white. Emory University professor Carol Anderson coined the term in her 2016 book White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide. She sees white rage as the operational function of white supremacy, which is embedded in policies that actively undermine African American achievement and advancement.  The phrase reflects CRT advocates typical but misguided beliefs that the United States hasnt made much progress in racial healing and racial equality, and that minorities are still hopelessly oppressed by the white majority in todays America. Many scholars, including black scholars such as Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele, and Jason Riley, have refuted such beliefs vigorously. Nevertheless, by using white rage in his testimony, Milley indicated he is on board with CRTs teachings and beliefs. Furthermore, he demands American soldiers be indoctrinated with the same ideology. What is wrong, Milley asked, with having some situational understanding about the country for which we are here to defend? This assumes that one can understand the United States by accepting accusations against its white citizens as expressions of rage. Of course, there is nothing wrong with American soldiers understanding our nations true history  not only its faults, but also the progress it has made. Critical Race Theory Is Racist and Divisive  Our men and women in uniform should know this nations founding principles represent universal values. Although we are still far from realizing those founding principles, we have advanced further toward those ideals than any other country in the world. These principles and our efforts to achieve them are worth defending to the death. However, indoctrinating the U.S. military with CRT will hurt both the recruitment of soldiers and the morale of our current troops. In the words of the Manhattan Institutes Christopher Rufo, CRT isnt an exercise in promoting racial sensitivity or understanding history. Its a radical ideology that seeks to use race as a means of moral, social and political revolution.  CRT divides people permanently into oppressors and oppressed categories based on skin color. Rather than promoting racial healing, it fosters racial divisions among Americans. It engenders hopelessness among minorities while instilling eternal guilt among white Americans. Rejecting Americas founding principles, CRT ignores the progress weve made and seeks to, as Rufo explains, abolish capitalism and install a near-omnipotent federal bureaucracy with the power to nullify any law and silence political speech that isnt antiracist.  Here are some questions for Milley. Through the lens of CRT, America is not worth defending. In the same week as Milleys testimony, Sir Stuart Peach, the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations most senior military officer, warned of communist Chinas swift military modernization. He said in an interview: It is quite shocking how quickly China has built ships, how much China has modernized its air force, [and] how much it has invested in cyber and other forms of information management, not least facial recognition.  What do you do if youre a leader in China with a modernized powerful large force? he asked rhetorically. You deploy it, you move it around.  Peach also raised concerns about Chinese espionage activities and influence campaigns on foreign soil. He pointed out that Beijing has built an enormous embassy with a large defense section populated by military generals in Brussels, NATOs headquarters and the heart of the European Union. It is reasonable to assume Beijing has done something similar through its embassies in other strategic locations, probably in the United States. The rise of communist China and its military present a formidable challenge to the United States and its western allies. Chinas leader Xi Jinping has been very vocal about establishing a Sino-centric new world order, replacing the liberal order that the United States has led since World War II. To fulfill Xis China dream, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has significantly increased investments in modern technology as well as military hardware. For example, the PLA Navy had a 335-ship fleet as of 2019, about 55 percent larger than in 2005. Based on this expansion speed, the PLA Navy fleet is projected to have more than 450 ships and about 110 submarines by 2030. At the same time, the U.S. Navy had 293 ships in 2019, an increase of just two in the last 15 years. The Biden administrations defense budget further diminished any hope that the U.S. Navy would have a fleet of 355 ships anytime soon. National security experts are already warning the United States might lose a great-power competition to China if we dont strengthen our national defense. Our military leaders should focus on fighting external threats at this crucial historical juncture, not fighting a domestic culture war. It is especially unwise to indoctrinate soldiers with divisive ideologies. The wokeness of our militarys top brass will win kudos from leftist politicians and many domestic institutions, but will cause long-term damage to our troops morale and ability to protect this nation. Share this: Twitter  Facebook