Diversity Thursday
Priorities and the money that feeds them
Want to know an organization's priorities? Follow the money.
The skunk at the navalist picnic last week, in an already tough year, was the unexpected - by almost everyone - rather clunky MEMORANDUM of June 4, 2021 put our by the Acting Secretary of the Navy.
You can read it in full here, but it outlines some significant cuts in to the Navy's teeth,
- The Navy cannot afford to simultaneously develop the next generation of air, surface and subsurface platforms...prioritize of of the following (sic) capabilities and re-phase the the other two after an assessment of operational, financial, and technical risk.
...
- The Navy cannot afford to own, operate, and maintain its current infrastructure ... the CNO is directed ... to achieve a 1 percent facility footprint reduction measured in square feet per year over 10 years.
...
- Defund Sea-Launched Cruise Missile - Nuclear development efforts.
Just when it needs the ability to get ready for the oft-touted "high end fight" we are cutting what will fight that war.
What is getting money? Well besides the SSBN replacement that we outlined as the main driver of The Terrible 20s over a decade ago, we want to invest in telework, Naval Community College, various flavors of suicide prevention, sexual assault, and sexual harassment programs, & mental health.
Oh, and of course;
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are critical to readiness of our Navy and Marine Corps team, and ultimately to our mission success. As part of the POM 23 process, the DON shall provide funding and manpower necessary to establish and appropriately staff and resource an office of primary responsibility to comply with the Department of Defense andDON DEI policies, guidance, and activities. Funding priorities for programs will be directed towards enhancing or sustaining recruitment, career development, retention, and training programs that reduct.eliminate barriers to service or advancement and deliver resources and benefits equitable to all.
As we've documented since the start of this blog, the Navy branch of the diversity industry is already a large and well populated commissariat. This grows it even more ... and it will foster more division, more inequality, more strife.
Watch how they operationalize the last sentence.
Warfighting? Meh.
Culture wars? Hell yeah.