Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that there is a need to improve morale in the U.S. military as left-wing policies have taken hold.
DeSantis, who served in the Navy, warned on Memorial Day that the military he sees today “is different from the military I served in.” The governor joined the Navy in 2004 before being stationed in Iraq and Guantanamo and being discharged in 2010, but he served in the Navy Reserve until 2019.
“I see a lot of emphasis now on political ideologies, things like gender pronouns. I see a lot about things like [diversity, equity, and inclusion]. And I think that that’s caused recruiting to plummet,” the Florida governor explained to Fox News. “I think it’s driven off a lot of warriors, and I think morale is low.”
The governor, who announced his 2024 presidential candidacy last week, signaled that he would make changes to the military if he’s elected. In Monday’s interview, he questioned why anyone would want to serve with the current set of rules.
“Why would you have wanted to join the Marine Corps back in the day? Why did everybody else who joined the Army?” DeSantis asked. “I remember being in Iraq, and we were in Fallujah, and it was not going well. And yet people were still willing to sign up knowing they’d get sent to Iraq because they believed that this was something special.”
DeSantis did not elaborate on how he would change the military if elected, but he stressed “big changes” would be made starting day one. One policy he’s considering would entail a program to counter the Chinese regime, but he stressed that recruitment needs to be boosted amid reports of persistent shortfalls.
The U.S. Army last year missed its recruitment goals by 15,000 active-duty members, or some 25 percent of its target. The Army is now about 7 percent smaller than it was two years ago, according to the military’s figures.
