‘Ridiculous’: Pentagon Spox John Kirby Bristles at Question From Fox’s Dana Perino About ‘Wokeness in the Military’

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby is taking umbrage with critics who believe the U.S. military is too “woke.”

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, anchor Dana Perino asked Kirby about critics who argue that there is an overly “leftward tilt” in the armed forced.

“[There’s] some criticism in the U.S. military, that perhaps there’s too much of a leftward tilt, or a wokeness in our military when we face really determined adversaries, committed adversaries in China, Russia, Iran, who maybe don’t have those same kind of pressures,” Perino said. “How do you respond to those criticisms?”

Kirby firmly pushed back at the notion.

“I think a lot of it, quite frankly, is driving a stake through a straw man here,” Kirby said. “This argument of wokeness in the military, I was in the military for 30 years, and I can tell you things like diversity and inclusion, that makes us a better military because it brings to the fore, in the decision-making, operational decision-making, that we conduct better ideas, more unique perspectives. Somebody else’s lived experiences which might actually make us smarter on the battlefield.

“So those kinds of arguments — I think are ridiculous. because we are stronger military because of our diversity, and because we represent all Americans, just like we defend all Americans.”

Conservative members of Congress have increasingly argued that the military has become “woke.” Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) said last week that our military has become the woke military, not the lethal military. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) have also sounded a similar note in recent months.

Watch above, via Fox.