WorldNetDaily’s nonprofit “WND News Center” relies on donations, so it can’t pay writers very well, which means what few writers it attracts are even more dedicated to narrative-first reporting instead of facts-first reporting. One recent contributor is J.M. Phelps, whose claimed expertise is “threats to the U.S. military and national security.” and whose WND bio lists other right-wing publications such as the Epoch Times and Gateway Pundit (always a sign of less-than-factual reporting). Phelps’ first WND piece, on Feb. 29, was about suggesting that “woke” things like not hating other people and getting properly vaccinated was hurting military recruitment:
In an independent survey conducted by this writer last fall, over 200 individuals currently serving in the U.S. military voluntarily offered their opinions about what they believe has harmed recruiting efforts in recent years. Over 37% of the survey’s 229 participants identified the August 2021 COVID-19 vaccine mandate and enforcement as the No. 1 harm to recruiting. Nearly 31% cited dangerous rhetoric towards traditional American values within the military as the second greatest harm. Another 25% suggested a lack of confidence in military leadership as the third greatest harm.
Moreover, almost 91% of the survey’s participants agreed that DEI training has taken away from training for combat readiness.
“Ultimately, all those factors play into trust and exhibit a lack of accountability,” Maj. [Grant] Smith said. “Potential recruits will have a hard time putting their trust in an organization that has yet to hold itself accountable for obvious failures.”
The Army’s priority should be “competence and performance” on the battlefield, according to Smith. But, for example, having requested approximately $114 million to finance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in fiscal year 2024, the Department of Defense embarked on something Smith politely calls “counterproductive.”
For Smith, who emphasizes that his views do not reflect those of the Department of Defense or Department of the Army, “DEI is divisive and does nothing for unit cohesion and readiness.” Rather, he argues, DEI initiatives likely harm unit cohesion and readiness, noting there is no evidence to support its use as a means to improve the Army in any way.
Only right-wing military people would think that not hating other people is “divisive.”
Phelps served up a similar theme in a March 6 article that included another dubious self-conducted survey and a participant hiding behind anonymity:
Across most branches of the U.S. military, recruitment numbers continue to plummet. As is widely known, lack of trust in senior military leadership as well as “woke” ideology now plague America’s armed forces. But the ultimate question remains: Can the U.S. still win wars?
To find out what the rank and file of the United States military believe in 2024 about fighting a major war against a near-peer threat, this writer conducted an informal survey, at random, of over 200 current members of the U.S. military.
When asked if the U.S. could win a war against a near-peer threat like China, Iran, North Korea or Russia, 188 of the survey’s 229 participants replied “No.”
WND interviewed one participant in the survey, on the condition of anonymity due to concern over reprisals. Emphasizing that his views don’t reflect those of the Department of Defense or Department of the Army, Sgt. First Class (SFC) Robbie Barnes (a pseudonym) admitted he is “not overly confident” the United States could win a war against a foreign adversary.
“There’s a good chance we could win, but it would come at a great cost,” he explained, referring to the loss of life in combat.
Ten to 15 years ago,” Barnes said, “we could have won any war in the world, but I’ve lost a great deal of confidence in our superiority in conflict over the last decade.” His change of faith can be attributed to well-known issues surrounding recruiting and retention.
“Recruiting numbers are down more than ever, and [service members] are leaving the military because they see the direction we’ve gone since the Obama administration,” he said. Progressive policies have repeatedly been blamed for the military’s recruiting shortfall.
[…]The Biden administration selected leaders he considers “very weak and spineless,” said Barnes, noting that they routinely refuse to push back against policies that are antithetical to the military. Such policies may help advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and LGBTQ+ agendas within the military work force, but do so to the detriment of America’s national security, he said.
Again, it’s not explained why training the military to not reflexively hate people is “antithetical to the military.”
For a March 20 article, Phelps called on a right-wing Newsmax columnist to parrot his pet complaints:
With a presidential administration well-known to have been compromised by foreign adversaries – especially China – is America on the brink of disaster?
WND asked that question to Brigadier Gen. Blaine “Blaino” Holt, USAF-Ret., who served as the deputy U.S. military representative to NATO and is co-founder of the nonprofit Restore Liberty.
Holt fears the worst under President Joe Biden’s leadership, saying the evidence of betrayal is undeniable. “It’s not statistically possible for an administration to make 100 percent of its decisions counter to United States interests without some other factor at play.”
Neither Phelps nor Holt offered evidence to back up the claim that “100 percent” of Biden’s military decisions are “counter to United States interests.”