U.S. Army Drops Diversity Requirement For Selecting High-Level Non-Commissioned Officers

The top enlisted leader of the U.S. Army has issued guidance removing the requirement for diversity to be a factor when choosing upper-level noncommissioned officer positions.

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer recently issued the new guidance, which was obtained by Military.com. While the guidance was aimed at selecting command sergeants major and remained essentially unchanged from previous guidance issued by Weimer’s predecessor, one missing line has made a big difference.

The line in question previously directed that diversity be a factor in selecting command sergeant major candidates. The guidance previously read that leaders should “consider diversity to ensure leaders represent our formations.”

As Military.com noted, the new guidance also included mundane provisions such as physical fitness being a determining factor for top enlisted leaders in airborne roles.

The cut diversity line, however, comes after pressure from Republican lawmakers and others, who have insisted the military under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris has prioritized leftist ideology over military readiness.

Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!

For example, as The Daily Wire exclusively reported in August, the Biden-Harris administration paid third-party organizations millions of taxpayer dollars to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In documents reviewed by The Daily Wire, it was revealed that part of the DEI initiatives included race-based career advancement programs.

“The documents, first obtained by the Functional Government Initiative, highlight the extent of the Pentagon’s efforts to embed leftwing, race-based ideology in the military, in partnership with academic institutions and consulting firms,” The Daily Wire reported. “The outside organizations received taxpayer dollars to set up hiring pipelines that gave candidates preferential treatment on the basis of race and sex, advise the government agency on DEI policy, and combat internal and external resistance to said policies.”

“The U.S. and its allies are facing challenges and threats all over the globe. Despite the increased concern for military preparedness, the DOD continues to prioritize DEI initiatives,” FGI spokesman Peter McGinnis told The Daily Wire.

“Rather than maximizing readiness training to ensure a capable military, the DOD’s training seems calculated to foster sowing internal discord with aggressive efforts to promote controversial ideologies,” he added. “Americans join the military to serve their nation and protect the homeland, not to sit through sensitivity training. The DOD owes them better.”

In November 2023, The Daily Wire reported that the Department of Defense planned to spend nearly $270 million on DEI initiatives between fiscal years 2022 and 2024.

In addition to the removal of the diversity requirement in Weimer’s guidance, he and Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George also replaced the Army slogan “People First,” which focused more on soldier and family needs than war preparedness. This attitude, which has been in place for the past four years, has led to reduced standards for women recruits, Military.com reported.

Spencer Lindquist contributed to this report.