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Secretary defends 'merit' shift and says morale is high, calls DEI slogan misguided
Summary
A secretary told senators the department prioritized merit over diversity initiatives, called the phrase "diversity is our strength" "the single dumbest phrase in military history," and said morale and recruitment improved under his leadership.
During a budget hearing exchange, a senator asked the secretary for a concrete example of how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) affected morale. The senator requested a "worst example" and how the secretary addressed it in his first year leading the department.
The secretary replied that the department refocused on merit and readiness, saying that an emphasis on gender and ideology had been cleared away to let "the best of the best" rise. In a pointed remark he said, "our diversity is our strength, which is the single dumbest phrase in military history," arguing instead that "our unity is our strength."
He described the shift as removing what he called "debris" — including what he labeled "Marxist ideologies" and quotas — and replacing those priorities with accountability, standards, lethality, readiness and training. He asserted that morale and recruitment have risen as a result and urged critics to "go visit the troops" to see current conditions.
The exchange recorded contrasting views about personnel policy but did not produce a binding policy change in the hearing.
