As the Biden-Harris administration’s term ends, its four-year focus on social reforms over combat readiness has left America’s armed forces woke, weak, and dangerously unprepared — with historically low military recruitment numbers, lowered standards, and compromised morale at a time of rising global threats.
The administration’s military policies prioritizing social agendas over readiness have resulted in a politicized, underfunded, undermanned, and unprepared force. Furthermore, under Biden and Harris, the military faced a recruitment crisis, with major branches repeatedly missing targets and standards lowered to meet numbers — impacting readiness.
Social Reform over Readiness
From day one, the Biden-Harris administration vowed to “cleanse” the military by ridding the ranks of what it labeled “racists and extremists.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, requiring a congressional waiver to serve due to recent military service, immediately issued mandates to root out alleged extremism — which he deemed “absolutely unacceptable” — and promote diversity.
By early 2022, Pentagon data revealed that service members spent $1 million and nearly six million man-hours on “stand-down” days and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training rather than on mission-critical exercises, a move critics argue pulled focus from combat preparedness.
“We face real threats across the world, yet the Biden administration is more focused on promoting its leftist social agenda in the military instead of countering China, Russia and Iran or creating an effective counterterrorism plan,” said a dozen Senate Armed Services Committee Republicans in a joint statement at the time.
The senators noted that, after a year-long study, the Biden-Harris administration’s Countering Extremism Working Group found fewer than 100 cases of “extremist activity” among service members, despite the military spending a whopping 58,000 hours on extremism training, which they argue is excessive given that existing defense bills already address such cases.
“Woke” Policies and Lowered Standards
Throughout the Biden-Harris term, the military faced criticism for pushing a “woke” agenda at the expense of focusing on protecting the country.
One of the first actions the Biden-Harris administration took at the Pentagon was to undo Trump’s order to allow transgender persons to serve in the military only in their biological sex. Biden and Harris would go on to champion policies on LGBTQ rights, including support for transgender rights in the military and policies allowing for gender-affirming medical care, with TRICARE covering hormone therapy and counseling, and waivers available for “medically necessary” surgeries for the treatment of gender dysphoria.
Within months, then Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker released a memo outlining his efforts to promote DEI in the Navy. The memo was intended to serve as a framework for ongoing DEI efforts in the Navy and directed the Chief Diversity Officer of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Cathy Kessmeier, to lead a Strategic Planning Team and develop an action plan to promote DEI.
Meanwhile, the appointment of transgender Vice Admiral Rachel Levine (formerly Richard Levine) as HHS Assistant Secretary for Health, also faced criticism as a symbol of the administration’s shift from traditional military values. Levine claimed “gender-affirming care” for youth, a far-left euphemism for child mutilation, is “lifesaving” and a medical necessity. The assistant secretary for health also called to “empower” children to use puberty blockers and undergo sex reassignment surgery.
Military experts have raised alarms that the focus on diversity is creating a force that may be less prepared to face increasingly sophisticated international threats.
Already in 2021, Republicans ordered a report that concluded the Navy’s top brass is more focused on wokeness and diversity training than on winning wars. As a result, the report revealed, sailors have been left feeling unprepared to face a 21st century conflict with China.
The Navy would go on to release a training video teaching sailors to use the “right” pronouns, “show that we’re allies,” and create “a safe space for everybody,” while instructing servicemembers on how to proceed after having “misgendered” someone.
In addition, a report from 2022 recommended the Marine Corps drop gender-specific salutations for drill instructors, claiming that “gender identifiers” can “remind recruits of negative stereotypes they hold” and “subconsciously” affect the reactions of recruits; “prime” them to consider a drill instructor’s “gender first, before their rank or role”; and possibly lead to “misgendering” instructors.
Shortly after a report revealing a shocking rise in “woke” materials featured within DODEA schools, DEI chief Kelisa Wing was removed from her role as officer in Department of Defense’s Education Activity (DODEA) after being accused of anti-white posts and spreading “woke” ideologies within its school systems.
Wing had been accused of using her position in military children’s schools to promote woke ideologies through her personal writings. Following an investigation, the DOD reassigned Wing to another position after having been exposed denigrating white people in several posts.
Republicans have long warned of the damaging effects of wokeism in the Armed Forces, describing it as a distraction from warfighting and a vital factor in driving servicemembers out of active duty “in droves.”
Former Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who then served as the top Republican on the House Armed Services Military Personnel Committee, called out the military’s woke DEI agenda, criticizing military leaders for “asking us to embrace a brand of identity politics that is fashionable on the left right now, one which judges people explicitly by the color of their skin rather than on their merits as individuals.”
Last year, Republican Reps. Mike Waltz (R-FL), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, and Jim Banks (R-IN), Chair of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, warned of the “major threat to democracy” posed by the Department of Defense’s “wokeness” — which they blamed for undermining the military’s apolitical character and harming recruitment, which had hit a “historic” low. They also demanded “transparency” regarding its effects.
The administration’s approval of drag-queen story hours on military bases and hiring of drag “ambassadors” for recruitment also drew significant backlash, with House Republicans and Navy veterans calling the move “radical” and “reckless” and asserting that “a woke military is a weak military.”
In addition, during the Biden-Harris term the U.S. Navy announced it was granting sailors a “one-time reset” of past physical fitness assessment (PFA) failures in hopes of improving retention, while the Department of Defense (DOD) revealed taxpayer dollars would be used to pay for servicemembers’ abortion travel fees.
Despite the efforts, these policies, along with lowered physical and skill standards, have reportedly damaged cohesion and readiness within the ranks.
Vaccine Mandates
In 2021, the administration ordered all military members and reservists to take the COVID-19 vaccine or face discharge from the military. As a result, more than 8,000 service members were discharged, with an unknown number choosing not to re-enlist and contributing to an enlistment crisis.
The policy left reinstated members frustrated and morale low across the ranks.
Republicans in Congress eventually forced the administration to rescind the mandate in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. However, affected veterans service members continue their fight for accountability and restitution for time and pay lost.
Impact of Biden-Harris’s Afghan Pullout
Since taking office, the Biden-Harris administration has made a series of failed foreign policy moves, many of which have shifted long-standing U.S. strategies, impacting military readiness and compromising stability, having weakened America’s strategic position and strained the military’s ability to effectively respond to global threats.
The chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021 was described by military leaders as a costly lapse in coordinated planning and accountability, leaving allies and veterans questioning the administration’s commitment to effective military strategy. It not only shook U.S. credibility but left an estimated $7 billion worth of military equipment in Taliban hands after the radical Islamist terrorist group’s takeover of the country, despite the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. and NATO over nearly two decades to build up Afghan security forces.
The hasty evacuation saw vast stockpiles of weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and advanced technology abandoned. The move bolstered Taliban forces and emboldened other adversaries, compromising national security and dealing a blow to troop morale, as many service members felt years of sacrifice were erased.
The military would subsequently see a notable increase in suicide rates, with many active members and veterans expressing disillusionment with what they perceived as a purposeless mission and lack of support — concerns only deepened by the administration’s focus on non-combat priorities.
According to a survey released by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) last year, nearly 49 percent of veterans are suffering from trauma as a result of the events of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the report said.
Hostage Trades, “Shameful” Concessions and Deterrence
The Biden-Harris administration’s handling of high-profile trades has drawn heavy criticism for weakening U.S. military deterrence.
The administration faced criticism after arranging a trade of WNBA player Brittney Griner, detained in Russia, for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, described as “one of the most dangerous men on the face of the Earth.”
Critics labeled the trade lopsided and dangerous, with one congressman calling it a “major propaganda victory” for Russia.
With Griner’s release celebrated by the administration, many questioned the strategic focus on trades for high-profile civilians over the concerns of military personnel, warning it risked signaling weak negotiation principles to adversaries.
Republican officials would later criticize the Biden-Harris administration for paying “ransom” to the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism after it approved a “shameful” deal with Iran to pay the Islamic regime $6 billion in exchange for five detained Iranian-American citizens on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. In addition, the Biden-Harris administration reached a plea deal removing the death penalty for three accused 9/11 terrorists, allowing them to plead guilty in exchange, but backtracked after intense bipartisan backlash.
Moreover, the recent U.S.-Russia prisoner swap — where eight Russian criminals, including high-profile cybercriminals Vladislav Klyushin and Roman Seleznev, were exchanged for American hostages — has raised concerns, as both had previously been convicted for major cyber offenses targeting U.S. institutions, posing a significant victory for Putin’s influence strategy.
Such concessions set a dangerous precedent, weakening the U.S. stance and risking morale among military forces who rely on strong, uncompromising leadership in matters of national security.
Environmental Mandates
The Biden-Harris administration has elevated climate change as a cornerstone of its policy agenda, embedding it across federal departments, including the Department of Defense (DOD).
In 2022, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a directive mandating the Army to incorporate climate considerations into strategic planning, resulting in a 50-page document focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
With the administration pushing ambitious environmental targets for the military, including a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, military analysts have warned that this mandate could compromise combat readiness by diverting resources toward emissions reductions.
This focus could intensify under a Harris administration, especially with her likely appointment of key environmental allies, among them being Democrat vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who has called for using algae to power the U.S. Navy as part of his efforts to fight climate change.
However, critics contend that his approach favors long-term environmental goals over urgent national security and energy needs, potentially raising costs and creating reliability issues in defense infrastructure.
Republican vice-presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (OH) has criticized Walz, asserting he “wants to make the American people more reliant on garbage energy instead of good American energy.”
Chinese Spy Balloon Incident
In another high-profile incident, a Chinese spy balloon was allowed to traverse U.S. airspace for days, allegedly after collecting intelligence from sensitive military sites before being shot down. The delayed response raised questions about U.S. air defense vigilance and readiness under the command of Biden and Harris.
The U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee account blamed the Biden-Harris administration for having “left our nation’s military intelligence and critical infrastructure at risk to the CCP’s espionage,” while Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) declared that the balloon was a “test on America to collect data and intelligence.”
Bloomberg reported the Biden administration had hoped to hide its existence from the public so as not to ruin Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned trip to Beijing.
Election Implications
As the election nears, national security has become a leading issue, particularly in swing states where veterans and active-duty families reside.
Concerns over the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of defense matters have only intensified with revelations of a “lack of transparency” within the Department of Defense when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalized for several days without informing key officials.
The incident sparked outrage and raised serious questions about security protocols and chain-of-command procedures during his absence. It also added to ongoing critiques, with many arguing it reflects a troubling lack of accountability, further straining an already underprepared and morale-challenged military force.
Trump’s campaign has positioned itself in sharp contrast, promising a return to “strength and deterrence” in military policy. The former president, who signed the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that officially created the Space Force — the sixth and first new military branch since 1947, has vowed to refocus it on combat preparedness and national defense amid concerns it has become politicized.
For undecided voters, especially those concerned with national defense, the perceived “woke” and “weak” military may be a deciding factor.
Furthermore, Harris’s inexperience could leave her ill-prepared to handle complex defense issues, with fears that the military’s readiness will continue to decline, especially as her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, faces scrutiny over alleged ties to China’s influence campaigns and undisclosed past relationships with CCP-affiliated individuals.
With Biden and Harris’s disastrous four-year record, voters may seek a candidate focused on restoring combat readiness and stability within the military, rather than on social policies that have left America’s forces vulnerable to growing international threats.
This month, former President Donald Trump’s campaign slammed wokeness in the military under Biden and Harris, calling for making “our military great again.”
He also agreed to set up a task force to root out wokeness and DEI training, as well as other initiatives fostered under Biden and Harris.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
