Image: Wikimedia Commons (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
On May 2-3, the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACODAI) hosted one of its bi-annual meetings in Arlington, Virginia.
Charted by the Congressional Black Caucus in the fiscal year 2009 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), DACODAI’s forefather, the Military Leadership Diversity Commission (MLDC) issued its final report in 2011. Subsequently, DEI ideology and training was set into motion to spread like cancer throughout the military.
Former president Donald Trump issued an executive order in September 2020, directing the cessation of all critical race theory and DEI training in the military. In January 2021, President Joe Biden rescinded the order. With that, DACODAI was accepted as the successor to the MLDC just months later.
Interestingly, earlier this year, DACODAI invited members of Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS) and other organizations to put together an in-person panel of experts to have a dialogue on DEI in the military. Although there was a great response from like-minded leaders and organizations, the proposed panel was almost immediately cancelled as “too hard to do.”
Lt. Gen. Rod Bishop (ret.), STARRS chairman of the board, requested an informal video panel with DACODAI be held so concerns about the negative impact of DEI on the military could be shared, but a response was never received from Gen. (ret.) Lester Lyles—the DACODAI Chairman—or his office.
In an effort to be heard, Bishop and others—including nine former senior DOD and civilian leaders—recorded five-minute statements about the harm DEI was causing and forwarded them to DACODAI. These statements also went unanswered.
In response, 17 members of the public, including presidents of 10 veteran-led or military-concerned organizations planned to attend the semi-annual DACODAI in person. On April 29, just days before the meeting was to occur, all public attendees were notified by DACODAI that the Department of Defense “for unforeseen reasons” was cancelling any in person attendance.
Next came guidance—as people were required to register beforehand—from DACODAI’s Federal Officer that “no public statements would be allowed.”
One can rightly question whether these decisions could be attributed to the realization that the many people outside the network of DACODAI would have boldly spoken against DEI ideology in the military? DACODAI did not reply to requests for comment by The Gateway Pundit to defend their reason for the abrupt cancellation or change of plans.
While Bishop was “greatly disappointed,” he was not entirely surprised, considering DACODAI’s unwavering support of all things Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In a recent a clip shared on Fox & Friends, Bishop explained, “[DEI is] unadulterated, undeniable, easily proven Marxist-based ideology that’s being forced down the throats of our servicemen.”
In a recent a clip shared on Fox & Friends, Bishop explained, “[DEI is] unadulterated, undeniable, easily proven Marxist-based ideology that’s being forced down the throats of our servicemen.”
“The leaders of today, unfortunately, just don’t seem to have the morale courage to stand up against this,” Bishop continued.
Fox News Channel’s Pete Hegseth said, “They closed the actual meeting because they were afraid of the pushback.” Speaking about the video, Bishop told The Gateway Pundit, “Pete and the cohosts really got passionate about this. America has to get this passionate about what’s happening to our military, too.” For him, “people can’t keep their heads buried in the sand.”
To that end, Bishop said was shocked to learn that DACODAI has been “flying underneath the radar” on Capitol Hill. According to him, with all that is on their plate, politicians and others are largely unaware that DACODAI is advising the Secretary of Defense on matters of diversity and inclusion.
He told the Gateway Pundit that “although the shoddy treatment of members of the public may be a harbinger of societal failure and the ‘cancel culture’ being alive and well in our country, the focus should be—and always remain—on the divisiveness, the discrimination, the lowering of standards that is part and parcel of the Marxist-based DEI movement in our military.”
“By setting up barriers where skin color, ethnic background, and racial diversity becomes all the focus,” Bishop warned, “they’ve created something which is poisonous to the military.” He explained, “Diversity is not the military’s greatest strength; rather, it is unity and cohesiveness.”
“We all bleed red, and the only other colors that matter besides red are white and blue,” Bishop shared. He desires for Congress to fully understand that the “injection of a Marxist ideology into the military” could end in the destruction of the military as the country knows it.
“Why are we lowering standards? Why are we promoting the less qualified? Why are we allowing DEI to divide, demoralize, and demean our military?” he asked.
With host Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy, testimonies of some of the members of the members of the Military Readiness and Merit Coalition who had planned to attend the DACODAI event met virtually on May 2. This panel focused on the importance of merit-based readiness, rather than divisive and demoralizing “woke” identity politics.
Panelists included former Lt. Col. Matt Lohmeier, Col. Brandi King, former Army officer Kendall Qualls, former Army officer Scott McQuarrie, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Christopher Walker, and Lt. Gen. (ret.) Rod Bishop.
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