![]() This politicisation risks creating an environment where officers are incentivised to remain silent on important issues, potentially stifling discussion and progress on matters that could impact unit cohesion and the well-being of service members. ![]() Senator Schmitt’s decision to block Jonsson’s promotion based on his advocacy for DEI and his commentary on racial injustice signals to military personnel that their promotions can be jeopardised by their views on social issues, even when expressed within a framework of seeking to improve military culture and effectiveness. The idea that expressing an opinion – regardless of the book’s contentious nature – could impact one’s career advancement is absurd. The hold placed on Jonsson’s promotion doesn’t gel particularly well with these principles in fact, it introduces a politicised criterion for military advancement that is largely unprecedented in the United States and is detrimental to the integrity and apolitical nature of the world’s most potent fighting force.Ĭolonel Jonsson seems to be facing punitive measures for endorsing a controversial book called “White Fragility.” Regardless of one’s personal stance on the book itself, it’s a troubling precedent that an individual in the armed services of a democracy could be penalised for such views, especially when such views are part of a broader dialogue on improving inclusivity and understanding within the ranks. ![]() They’re fighting for their country and its values, not the prevailing political winds. From my years of writing about the armed forces, talking to their people, and remarking on what they do, I have learned that the one inescapable fact that defines the men and women who put their lives on the line is that the essence of military effectiveness in a modern fighting force is built on recognising talent and the ability to operate beyond the reach of political partisanship. ![]()
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