The U.S. Navy and the DEI Debate: A Veteran's Perspective

Recently, the US Navy has made a significant commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), as seen on its official website. However, I have been asking myself if this commitment is relevant and practical in military organization especially when I consider that I am a military veteran with 34 years of service.

The navy’s Diversity and Equity web page proclaims: “I AM A SAILOR. WE ARE A TEAM. THIS IS OUR NAVY”. This is followed by a quote from ADM Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations who states that sailors are more ready to win wars, deter aggression and maintain freedom of the seas when they feel included, respected, empowered.

Nevertheless, the Navy does not provide any solid evidence for this assertion. Furthermore, the relationship between inclusivity and military readiness remains unclear. My feelings were never asked about once in my service years. The Navy was all about toughness, stamina, perseverance physical fitness strength courage honor commitment feelings were secondary and that was well un derstood by me and my shipmates.fggt 

However DEI-focused Navy raises many questions –how diverse should it be? The report of the 2021 DOD demographics for Navy shows that it is already one of the most diverse organizations anywhere in America. In terms of racial demographics captured in survey results 37% are currently non-white which implies that whites make up 63%. This percentage corresponds to what was reported nationally in the 2020 census.

Another issue brought up by the navy’s dedication to DEI is equity vs equality debate? Both terms are used on pages for DEI on navy.mil which may confuse readers as they refer to different concepts. Equality refers to equal opportunity based on merit while equity means equal outcomes irrespective of meritocracy. Thus navy should embrace the latter rather than former as their slogan.

Another common term applied throughout Navy’s discourse on DEI is inclusion too; however such uniformity or conformity facilitate military efficiency and safety. Thus, calling the use of the term “inclusion” a practical move seems questionable if not entirely political.

In conclusion, while this commitment of the Navy to DEI may mirror wider societal trends, it raises doubts on its realisticness and significance in terms of a military context. The most important issue for the navy is equality not equity since the navy is already diverse. The use of politically charged terminology such as “inclusion” can serve sowing doubt and dissent that potentially undermines the effectiveness of the US Navy. The focus of the Navy should remain on its primary mission: fighting and winning this country’s wars at sea and projecting power ashore.