Our Military Is Not a Social Experiment

ObamaAtThePentagonOne of the biggest casualties of this presidency – one that requires more immediate attention – is the deterioration of our military and the plummeting morale of our service members. Whether it’s the endless social experimentation, the politicized generals, the lack of a defined mission, the tepid rules of engagement, the war on religious liberty in the service, or the depleting resources, there are likely a number of factors behind the demoralizing of our troops.

In what can only be described as pouring lighter fluid on the problem, Obama’s Pentagon is announcing the entry of transgendered soldiers into the military beginning next May. This sounds like a great panacea to a dejected military.

Last year, the Military Times published a riveting report, “A Force Adrift,” in which they surveyed several thousand soldiers, revealing a precipitous drop in morale just from 2009. Here are some key findings:

When Obama came into office in 2009, over 90% of those surveyed rated their overall quality of life as good or excellent. In 2014, that number plunged to 56%.

In 2009, 53% agreed that the “senior military leadership” had the best interests of the soldiers at heart. In 2014, just 27% had that confidence in their leadership.

The number of enlisted soldiers who rated their officers as excellent or good dropped from 78% to 49%.

Clearly, the military has been under stress with the mounting casualties and endless tepid war efforts of the past decade, and that is not all Obama’s fault. But for the most part, the morale held together during the Bush presidency. That has all come unglued during the Obama-era social experimentations. It’s hard to imagine anyone with a lick of common sense agreeing that female commandoes and transgendered individuals in close quarters in the barracks is what the doctor ordered.

Yesterday, USA Today obtained a memo from the Defense Department stating their intention to enact a pilot program integrating transgendered troops into the military. They absurdly estimate there are as many as 12,000 transgendered individuals in the military and plan to offer them time off for hormone therapy.

Take that, Iran and ISIS! We’ll send the new transgendered brigade after you…as soon as we get them squared away with hormone therapy.

One need not be a military expert to understand the nightmare that will ensue in terms of logistics in barracks, showers, and in close quarters. The endless gratuitous distraction of this nonsense, which defies any semblance of sanity or common sense, will invariably ensnare commanding officers in impossible situations, exposing them to accusations of discrimination and immediate threats to their religious liberty.

And most importantly, is this what we need during a time of existential threat from Islamic terror?

It’s time for the presidential candidates to step up to the plate and use their bully pulpit to restore hope to the military and speak out against their abuse at the hands of this decedent administration. They need to boldly address these issues and put forth a specific plan to restore the morale, integrity, and core mission of the military.

Concurrently, it’s time for congressional Republicans, including so-called conservatives, to finally show a willingness to combat Obama’s social engineering after six years of giving him a complete pass. Next month, the House and Senate conferees will complete their work on the FY 2016 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), which authorizes all military programs.

What better vehicle than the NDAA, which is viewed as a must-pass bill, to restore a sense of sanity in the military?

At a minimum, Republicans should demand the following:

A provision requiring that any reversal of the ban on transgendered persons in the military must be done with the consent and approval of Congress

A prohibition on lowering any standards for women in training and testing in order to serve in direct ground combat positions

Attach a provision allowing base commanders to grant enlisted soldiers permission to carry guns on military bases

Attach a provision banning the dismissal of any service-member for expressing his or her religious beliefs

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) are the GOP point men on the conference committee. [The other conferees include: J. Randy Forbes of Virginia, Jeff Miller of Florida, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Frank A. LoBiondo of New Jersey, Rob Bishop of Utah, Michael R. Turner of Ohio, John Kline of Minnesota, Mike D. Rogers of Alabama, Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, K. Michael Conaway of Texas, Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Rob Wittman of Virginia, Duncan Hunter of California, Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, Joe Heck of Nevada, Brad Wenstrup of Ohio and Elise Stefanik of New York.]

It is their responsibility to exercise oversight over Obama’s inane policies and anti-religious bigotry within the military. Unfortunately, if they sign off on a conference report for the NDAA without any of these reforms, there is no way for rank-and-file members to propose amendments because a conference bill requires an up-or-down vote.

Understandably, many members are leery about voting against a defense authorization bill. But they must remember, rubber-stamping the status quo in the military is not being supportive of the troops. We can’t afford to wait until 2017 to address the urgent problem of a demoralized military. (Re-posted with permission from the author, “Our Military Is Not a Social Experiment” originally appeared HERE)

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