On the evening of September 30 local time, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin convened more than 800 military officers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, and delivered a speech.
In his nearly 50-minute speech, Austin pointed out that for a long time, misleading politicians have forced the military to focus on the wrong things. He is committed to eliminating "obvious distractions" that have weakened the "War Department's" combat effectiveness in recent years. He proposed 10 new instructions, including strengthening physical fitness standards and tests, requiring military personnel in combat-related jobs to undergo physical fitness tests according to male standards, with scores of 70% or higher; strengthening appearance requirements, no longer allowing beards, and criticizing overweight soldiers and officers; conducting a comprehensive review of so-called "harmful leadership," "bullying and harassment" policies, ending the "walking on eggshells" and zero-error command culture, and liberating the "weaponized" monitoring process. In addition, Austin also criticized the "diversity, equity, and inclusion" programs, emphasizing "performance-based" promotions, stating that the only selection criterion for U.S. military leaders should be ability, and that the most outstanding and qualified people should hold these positions.
President Donald Trump then appeared at the meeting site and gave a one-hour speech covering a wide range of topics such as the Israel-Palestine conflict and tariff policies. He criticized "radical left-wing Democrats" and claimed that the United States is facing an "internal invasion."
Austin's speech and related instructions reflect a current trend in the U.S. political environment, which attempts to reshape the culture and combat effectiveness of the military by reversing some policies that emphasized diversity and inclusivity. However, this approach has sparked many controversies. On one hand, labeling diversity, equity, and inclusion policies as "political ideological clutter" may overlook their positive role in promoting diverse thinking and decision-making models in the military, as well as understanding local cultures and obtaining critical intelligence in actual military operations, such as counter-terrorism practices in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the other hand, Austin, who lacks combat experience, gives lectures to senior officers, and some of his proposals, such as restoring high-intensity basic training, have been criticized as "regressing to a barbaric era," clearly violating the U.S. Military Personnel Treatment Regulations, which has raised doubts about his leadership capabilities and the rationality of his policies. Furthermore, this large-scale gathering of officers and the relatively strong approach to implementing reforms may trigger a crisis of trust within the military, disrupt the stability of the officer promotion system, and even undermine the institutional foundation of the U.S. military.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844923380956423/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.