Nation
Army seeks to ditch ‘woke’ messaging to undo historic recruiting problems

Going woke is doing irreversible damage to the country in multiple aspects, but one of the most dangerous is the United States military experiencing historic lows in recruiting. As a result, military experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) the Army is launching a new branding campaign, which was unveiled last week.
Experts said they shied away from social justice and diversity themes in order to overcome a historic drop in recruiting. Two new 90-second ads accompany the rebranding guide, and direct the viewer through the history of the U.S. Army, from the colonial militias of the Revolutionary War to modern missions aimed at countering a rising China. They highlight themes of “overcoming obstacles” and pushing toward the future with new technologies that better the lives of civilians as well as serving the nation’s defense.
Daily Caller News Foundation writes of the background:
The service’s buy-in on identity politics could turn off conservative families, which have traditionally served as the military’s largest recruiting base, and exacerbatedthe service’s recruiting woes in fiscal year 2022, experts and lawmakers warn. But, the years-in-the-making rebrand, with a goal of showcasing the Army’s role in defense and innovation throughout American history and encouraging soldiers to push their limits, could help the Army meet its ambitious recruiting goals for 2023, experts in military readiness told the DCNF…
…The Army has come under fire for embracing perceived left-wing values in branding, according to Task and Purpose. One example is a 2021 advertising scheme that emphasized the different kinds of people who could join the service, highlighting a same-sex family.
Left-wing trends in the military’s education and personnel policies — including emphasizing inclusion of LGBTQ+ servicemembers, doubling down on outreach to minority communities, and teaching CRT and giving pronoun advice at the military academies — to support “diversity as a strategic imperative” could cause conservative, often white families to believe they “are not welcome or appreciated in the military,” Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, told the DCNF in June.
“I think the new brand and commercial better appeal to young people’s desire to be part of a big, important effort larger than themselves,” Thomas Spoehr, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Defense, told the DCNF. “I think that is the right approach to take.”
The campaign resurrects the “be all you can be” slogan that served marketing and recruiting efforts from 1981 to 2001, with a focus on the possibilities for personal and career development the Army holds, according to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and Sgt. Maj. Michael Grinston.
“The Army’s identity-based marketing has been a disaster for recruiting, which is why they’re shifting away from it. … The Army and every other branch needs to focus on appealing to all Americans, regardless of their political beliefs or background,” Republican Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who chairs the military personnel subcommittee on the House Armed Services Committee and has sworn to crack down on wokeness in the military, said to the DCNF.
CONTINUE READING: Daily Caller News Foundation
In 1981, “Be All You Can Be” inspired me to be the best version of myself I could be. pic.twitter.com/NhoBNLDRA4
— GEN James C. McConville (@ArmyChiefStaff) March 11, 2023

Middle East
US responds to Iranian drone strike that killed US contractor with “precision airstrikes”

The U.S. military launched multiple precision airstrikes in Syria, leaving at least 8 Iranians dead in response to the Iranian drone strike which left a US contractor dead and five service members injured, according to numerous reports.
The DOD said that a UAV belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps crashed into a building in northeast Syria at 1:38 p.m. According to a Fox News report, the “U.S. airstrike at an arms depot in Harabesh, in the eastern city of Deir el-Zour left six Iranian-backed fighters dead. A second U.S. bombing at a post near the town of Mayadeen killed another two fighters, according to the Observatory, whose reporting relies on local Syrian contacts.”
U.S. intelligence officials stated that they were able to trace the UAV back to Iran. After President Biden received the details of the strike he gave the authorization to conduct a counter attack.
Moreover, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said, “at the direction of the President, I authorized U.S. Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC),” he said.
“The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC,” he added.
General Michael Kurilla, Commander of CENTCOM (United States Central Command), also stated that the airstrikes were in response to the attack on an American contractor and wounded troops.
“This evening, we responded to an attack on our forces that killed an American contractor and wounded our troops and another American contractor by striking facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” Krill said. “This was another in a series of attacks on our troops and partner forces.”
He shared his condolences with the families by stating that “thoughts and prayers of US Central Command are with the Family of our contractor killed and with our wounded service members and contractor.”
You can follow Alexander Carter on Twitter @AlexCarterDC
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