From Ukraine to debt ceiling, it’s a balancing act to pass FY24 budget

COL John McClellan I tend to agree but personally, inflation is still part of the issue along with the services spending money where it's needed the most? The cost to produce like or similar offensive and defensive measures in China cost less. Their cost includes twice the number of Active SM's that the U.S. has today.

Perhaps the expense dollars could be better spent if the question was asked before allocation if the expenditure would improve our training and equipment needed for defense and offensive tools/systems. IMHO would not include CRT studies and other time consuming devices that do not improve our defensive/offensive posture. Of course that's just my opinion.

Yes certainly, we pay our Soldiers, Sailors, Airman and Marines much better! And I'm sure there's a cost-of-living adjustment at play here as well. But here are no "CRT studies" in the military. Considering diversity and inclusion... in an all-volunteer force seems like a no-brainer to me. Don't conflate creating a force that looks like America, or taking equal opportunity seriously, with a graduate-school level elective offered only in Law school. These are not the same thing. Those raising the "what if this harms readiness" bogey man are reading from a discredited playbook that was trotted out when the armed forces were integrated, or when combat career fields were opened to women, or when the military recognized that yes, gay men & women can actually serve just like anybody else.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2021/07/01/is-the-military-teaching-critical-race-theory-not-really/

COL John McClellan - If you're suggesting that I raised "what if this harms readiness" I did, but I did not mention the gay culture in the military. However, part of that includes the transgender population that I did speak to in a previous post with the science behind the topic.. As far as CRT not being taught in the military I have not been a product of that class but others have if you believe the reports. Example: Critical Race Theory Inside the U.S. Military [WSJ 7/5/2021] The example you provided expresses, "The only clear example of critical race theory being taught in the military is at the U.S. Military Academy." - US Air Force Academy Include CRT in coursework [American Military News 07/2021] Army General Defend Teaching CRT at Academy [MSNBC 06/24/2021] Other publications that speak to CRT in the Military is Heritage, BBC, AP, and Fox News. Given the conversations and inclusiveness of CRT education at military academies it is a fair topic to debate. General Milley said, "I want to understand white rage – and I’m white,” He said he wanted to know and analyze what caused thousands of people to storm the US Capitol during the 6 January insurrection, and “try to overturn the constitution of the United States of America”. The realistic assessment of that conclusion does not offer a broad perspective but creates bias and a distortion of actual events.

Investigative organizations to include the FBI determined that scant to no evidence that the attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an insurrection or an organized attack.

While the embriotic state of CRT may have been born from a law professor at Harvard in the 70s it grew in scope. For supporters, it's an important framework for understanding the way systemic racism can perpetuate discrimination and disadvantage. For opponents, it's a subversive plan to indoctrinate young Americans to reject their country and its history. Teamwork is not mentioned when people/organizations are asked to fundamentally articulate what CRT means. Instead, it creates disputes and divisiveness.

Thanks, you capture the issue well - and - I'll look at those citations. Many people out there are using the acronym "CRT" w/o understanding what that actually is - broadening it to encompass anything related to race relations. Would not put it past many editors as well to use this term in a non-specific way. It's become shorthand. If the training in question is specifically an examination of the organization in question and posits that there is / has been a systemic bias built into that organization, and examines the statistical data underlying that premise, then yes - that's a proper characterization. In which case, then the military should be looking at it! I found in my time in that we (the military) were more self-aware, more willing to examine our own selves critically, than most any other American institution.

SFC William Farrell ^Our grandkids...

SFC William Farrell Agreed, However I am afraid that the negative impact on our grandchildren will consist of more than just dollars, if our current administration is able to continue on the current path.