The Pentagon defended its new embrace of wokeism after a cacophony of criticism coming from conservatives and Republicans. The military’s leadership sought to assuage concerns about its focus on diversity and inclusion training programs, insisting that they are essential for recruiting the “right people.”

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby addressed reporters during a Tuesday press briefing. Kirby was asked about Republican lawmakers creating sites inviting whistleblowers in the military to report radical leftist thought being injected into diversity training programs. “We certainly respect the oversight that Congress provides. I’m not going to comment on any specific one initiative that members of Congress might be doing,” Kirby responded. “What I can speak to is what we’re really focused on here at the department and that’s defending the nation. And that means putting in place the right resources, the right strategies, the right operational concepts to do that, around the world.”

He continued:

And the secretary has been very clear and fairly unapologetic about the fact that we want to get all the best talent that we can available from the American people. If you meet the standards and you’re qualified to be in the military — and you’re willing to raise your hand and serve this country — we want you to be able to do and we want you to be able to do it free of hate and fear and discrimination.

The New York Post reported: “Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) began a campaign last week that seeks to have military members report the ‘woke ideology.’”

Rep. Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL blasted the military’s embrace of wokeism and Critical Race Theory.

“Enough is enough. We won’t let our military fall to woke ideology. We have just launched a whistleblower webpage where you can submit your story. Your complaint will be legally protected, and go to my office and @SenTomCotton,” he tweeted.

Cotton and Crenshaw stated they were motivated to invite whistleblowers to shed light on the training they are receiving after the firing of Space Force commander Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, who was relieved of his duties after criticizing the move towards wokeism on various podcasts while promoting his book. (See: Military Officer Fired Over Criticism of Marxist Ideology Creeping Into Armed Forces)

“I was concerned by what I heard and will be pressing senior military leaders for answers,” Cotton said in a tweet.

Other Republicans have also gone to bat for Lohmeier, demanding that military brass provide an explanation for the reasons surrounding his firing. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the top Republican in the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement in which he declared that he would be fighting back against attempts to enforce woke theology on members of the military. (See: GOP Lawmaker to Tackle Military Political Bias Against Conservatives)

Despite the Pentagon’s protestations, it does not seem that these training programs are truly intended only to promote diversity or even increase the efficiency of America’s military. At this point, it seems clear that this is just another attempt by the hard left to inject its Marxist thought into another one of the nation’s institutions. As evidenced by the treatment of Lohmeier and other members of the Armed Forces who dared to speak out against this trend, it’s clear that some type of intervention is needed.