Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wants the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to defend its decision to drop its traditional mission statement of “Duty, Honor, Country,” according to a letter obtained by The Daily Wire.
Blackburn questioned the academy’s superintendent on its decision to replace the old statement with the phrase “Army values,” which she said “represents a vague subjective that can be changed time and again based on cultural and personal preference.”
“The mission statement of West Point has long been a beacon of inspiration for many prospective officers, reflecting the Academy’s commitment to producing leaders of character who are called to serve our nation,” the Senator from Tennessee wrote in a letter to Lt. Gen Steve Gilland. “Cadets have long been inspired by the notion of ‘Duty, Honor, Country,’ a phrase that has become synonymous with the Academy itself.”
“Our military institutions should always have one goal – developing principled leaders and lethal warriors,” Blackburn asserted. “The principles that have led generations of soldiers should not be erased to appeal to the cultural moment.”
Blackburn went on to note that the military has become sidetracked by the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda while foreign adversaries plot against America. “More, as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea continue to test the will of the United States, West Point recently held its largest diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) conference. While the U.S. military has been focused on DEI initiatives, our adversaries are plotting against us.”
The Senator’s letter comes as the military has doubled down on DEI initiatives, with the Air Force Academy recently hosting a transgender military member who pushed a “transgender day of visibility” in the military.
WATCH🎥: The U.S. Air Force Academy hosted a transgender Pentagon official for a symposium on inclusion. Our military is focused on transgender dogma while wars rage on two continents.
Here he is at a pride celebration calling for "intentional inclusivity" in the military 🧵 pic.twitter.com/6BAbEwrS4j
— Spencer Lindquist 🇺🇸 (@SpencerLndqst) February 29, 2024
The Pentagon has spent as much as $270 million on the DEI agenda under the Biden administration, while the country’s most powerful intelligence agencies have pushed Critical Race Theory and leftwing beliefs on gender.
Blackburn also posed a number of questions to Lt. Gen Steve Gilland, requesting that he respond no later than April 1st. “Who are you referring to when you say you worked with ‘external stakeholders’ on this change?” she asked, as well as “What do you say to those concerned that ‘Army Values’ can be broadly interpreted to fit the ever-changing cultural climate?”
“In your view, how does the updated mission statement better align with the timeless principles and values that West Point has upheld for generations?” she went on to ask.