Pentagon spokesman hits back at claims of ‘wokeness’ in US military

Comes after Republican Sen Rick Scott made the claim

(Getty Images)

The Pentagon’s top spokesman pushed back on accuastions from Republicans that the US miltary is concerned with “wokeness”, in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.

Admiral John Kirby, a retired rear admiral in the US Navy, told Dana Perino the criticism was a “straw man” – essentially a false boogeyman.

“This argument of ‘wokeness’ in the military,” Mr Kirby told Ms Perino. “I was in the military for 30 years, and I can tell you, things like diversity and inclusion, that makes us a better military because it brings to the fore in the decision making, operational decision making that we conduct, better ideas, more unique perspectives, somebody else's lived experiences which might actually make us smarter on the battlefield.”

Rather, Mr Kirby told Ms Perino that America’s military is stronger because it is so diverse.

Plenty of Republicans have criticised the US military for being too “woke,” which was a shorthand term among Black Americans meant to be aware of racism around them. Since then, it has become a buzz word among conservatives to deride anything that implies caring about any type of social justice cause.

Republican Sen Rick Scott of Florida, a retired Navy veteran, criticised the US military for being too focused on diversity last week in an interview with Fox News.

“Our military has become the woke military, not the lethal military,” Mr Scott, who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said.

Former president Donald Trump, who avoided the military draft, derided the military for being too “woke” and said that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Mark Milley’s “greatest fear is upsetting the woke mob.”