Wokeness a poor military recruiting tool

 Business Insider:

The military has been struggling to recruit new members. And according to the nation's top general, "wokeness" is playing at least a small role.

In an interview with the Washington Post, Gen. Mark Milley — the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a key reason driving the recruitment shortfalls, noting that military recruiters couldn't engage in normal on-campus high school recruitment for two years. He also pointed to data showing that recruits are failing a key academic test to get into the military, which he also suggested was caused by the pandemic.

But while Milley insisted that "wokeness" isn't the main reason for the recruitment shortfall, he did say it was a "contributing factor."

"I personally think that it's overstated," Milley said of "wokeness," adding: "There are things that are done in the military that certainly, you know, raise that as an issue, but the actual facts suggests that it's much less significant than perhaps the perception is."

He went on to address drag shows on military bases and critical race theory, two issues that Republicans in recent years have sought to highlight as "woke" issues plaguing the military.

"I don't agree with drag queen shows being on military bases. I don't think that's appropriate," he said. "How many times it happened? It happened a few."

The military recently banned drag shows on military bases after Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida raised the issue during a House hearing in March.

"Same thing with critical race theory," he added. "Agree or disagree with critical race theory, it is not a theory that the Department of Defense or the military is embracing and shoving down people's throats."
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It should be noted that the US Marines are the least woke branch of the military and they are the only one that is meeting recruiting goals.