By J.M. Phelps |  World Net Daily

Throughout the Biden-Harris administration, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars have been thrown at the military for the promotion of controversial and divisive ideologies based on identity politics.

Recently, the Daily Wire published a story showcasing information first obtained by the nonpartisan Functional Government Initiative. According to the report,

“The Biden-Harris Defense Department paid outside organizations millions of taxpayer dollars to advance diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including race-based career advancement programs, in the U.S. military.”

In one example, the University of Missouri-Kansas City received $760,000 from the Department of the Navy to develop a program that would result in preferential treatment for non-white students and women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs applying for Defense Department jobs.

In another, Cornell University was awarded approximately $202,000 “to provide Diversity training that is mission imperative to ensure readiness and addressing discriminatory behavior from a cognitive perspective.”

Shockingly, between 2022 and 2024, nearly $270 million in “taxpayer funds” was used to bolster the DEI agenda of the Pentagon.

WorldNetDaily interviewed Tom Burbage, a Naval Academy graduate, former Navy test pilot and Aerospace and Defense industry leader. He retired in 2013 and today serves as president of the Calvert Task Group, an organization that stands against divisive ideologies and identity politics found within the nation’s armed forces – with a particular emphasis on the U.S. Navy and Naval Academy.

Burbage admitted that he is “not surprised” by the Defense Department’s use of taxpayer funds to provide “diversity training” and more. “Over the last 10 years,” Burbage told WND, “increasing levels of government funding has incentivized the growth of what is today a multi-billion-dollar DEI market.”

“This has been an ongoing effort to change government institutions to support this ideology,” he argued, adding, “In our opinion, and in the opinion of most veterans who have served in our armed forces, the military should be the last bastion of the government that’s affected by money being directed to promote identity politics in a warrior ethos founded on creating unity.”

“DEI is the antithesis to the culture of the military,” he said. “Unsurprisingly and unfortunately, these financial incentives, further supported by evolving promotion criteria, have taken deep roots.”

“It’s difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it,” Burbage said, quoting famed novelist and social reformer Upton Sinclair.

“Contrast that with the evolution of the same movement within the corporate world.” Once incentivized by regulatory agencies and annual report cards, he said, corporations are now moving away from the ideology movement.

“Shareholders see the clear consumption of resources without adding value, [and] they are forcing companies to take a hard look,” he explained. “The result is many companies retreating and walking away.”

However, in government, Burbage said, “the money is still buried within various pockets of the budget to support the ideology because there’s no such thing as shareholder incentive in the government.”

Unfortunately, he added, “the push for DEI ideology has contributed significantly to the massive shortfalls in recruiting and readiness issues that our military is experiencing today.”

He places the blame squarely at the feet of senior military leadership. Over a decade ago, he said, there was “a purge of military leadership.” With the purge, he said, “leadership promotion began to focus on people who were willing carry a message like DEI forward.”

Burbage suggested, “Given the very high risk of military action in the world today, the importance of understanding the cause and effect of policies supporting anything other than recruiting, retention, readiness and lethality is paramount.”

Furthermore, he told WND,

“More and more people in military operations and military careers are realizing how detrimental DEI is to the world we live in today – a world that’s more dangerous than it ever was.”

For all these reasons, Tom Burbage is hopeful the increasingly divisive and unpopular DEI campaign dominating America’s military institutions will begin to “flame out” sooner, rather than later.

J.M. Phelps is a contributing writer for WND with a focus on threats to the U.S. military and national security. He also writes for the Epoch Times, American Family News and the Gateway Pundit. Follow him on X at @JMPhelpsLC.

First published on World Net Daily