12/3/2024

To: Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense

RE: Returning our military to excellence by removing woke ideologues

Dear Mr. Hegseth,

As you are aware, the woke takeover of the military is a major threat to our national
security. Military leaders should be focused on cultivating excellence, cohesion, and
lethality in our armed forces. Wokeness, on the other hand, seeks to institutionalize
promotions based on race rather than merit, turn our troops against each other, and
prioritizes ideological purity. As global tensions rise, with Iran on the march, Russia at
war, and China in midst of a massive military buildup, we cannot afford to have a
military distracted and demoralized by leftist ideology. Our nation’s security is at stake.

Purging the woke from the military is imperative, but just revering woke policies
would not be enough to bring our military to peak preparedness. Those who were
responsible for these policies being instituted in the first place must be dismissed. As
you, sir, eloquently put it, “Any… General, Admiral, whatever that was involved in any of
the DEI woke sh*t has got to go."

We applaud your mission to root out woke military leaders and write to you today to
share the names of some woke individuals that you can show the door on day 1. Please
see the following:

Air Force General Kevin B. Schneider:

• Vocally discusses and supports the DEI agenda in a YouTube interview,

claiming that:

• “We’re trying to eliminate the barriers, open the doors and make sure
that we can have the best most capable force that our nation can
provide.”
 • Schneider says we will know we’ve made considerable gains with
respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion when it becomes “part of our
DNA”

• He says DEI is an issue for leadership at all levels that we’re going to
have to continue to have conservations about

Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield:

• Made two separate LinkedIn posts supporting the 2022 CNAF DEI Summit she
attended

• Gave speech at Women’s Equality Day event in 2015

• She mentioned that 80% of the legislators in Congress are men which
means that most of the issues that become bills and laws are only
important to men, saying “it seems a bit unequal what issues go
forward.”

• Quoted saying “our diversity is our strength”

• Concluded her discussion on the importance of equal rights by quoting

Slide 35 of the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute's
informational presentation on Women's Equality Day: “Investing in
gender equality and women's empowerment can unlock human
potential on a transformational scale.”

Air Force Maj. Gen. Elizabeth E. Arledge:

• Multiple woke posts on her X (Twitter) profile ranging from intersectionality to

white privilege to LGBT rights:

• Posts about intersectionality

• Posts about “whiteness”

• Retweet about LGBTQ rights

• Retweet about honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg on a stamp

Air Force Maj. Gen. Jody A. Merritt:

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 • Served as a panelist for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion panel on Aug. 23, 2021

Army Lieutenant General Laura A. Potter:

• While explaining the four priorities of Army military intelligence, Potter noted
that the personnel effort is also focused on promoting diversity and inclusion

• Potter said that over her 32-year long career she has been able to witness
many changes in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion

• Touches on the importance of DEI in interview (14:05-14:40)

Air Force Maj. Gen. Stacy Jo Huser:

• Gave talk spotlighting DEI in leadership at Ole Miss

• Joined the NNSA's DEIA effort and prides herself as a member of the group

• LinkedIn post about underrepresented women of color in military

Air Force Maj. Gen. John R. Edwards:

• Member of the Pacific Islander/Asian American Community Team for the The
Department of the Air Force Barrier Analysis Working Group (DAFBAWG)
which aims to identify barriers in civilian and military workplace policies to
equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, and devise plans to eliminate them

• Shared post on LinkedIn linking an article outlining drastic DEI policy

implementations

• Co-leads the Asian-Pacific Islander subgroup with the Air Force Diversity Task
Force

Army Lieutenant General Anthony R. Hale:

• Hale visited 14 HBCUs to diversify the Military Intelligence Corps

• Quoted saying “And as we look at diversity, equity and inclusion, getting

after and doing something about the diversity within our M-I Corps just
makes us better.”

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 • “I have been visiting Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the
last year of my command of Fort Huachuca because I made it my
objective to get on a campaign to recruit more minorities in the Intel
Corps,” Hale said.

• Made a Pride Month statement in 2021 and shared it to his Twitter

Air Force Col. Benjamin R. Jonsson:

• Published an article entitled: "Dear white colonel … we must address our blind
spots around race”

• Quoted in the article saying "Defensiveness is a predictable response by

white people to any discussion of racial injustice"

• Says white colonels are "largely blind to institutional racism"

• Recommends Robin DiAngelo's “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for

White People to Talk About Racism” at the end of the article

• Helped lead diversity and inclusion panel in 2021

• Serves as the Vice Superintendent of the Air Force Academy which has come
under fire recently over radical DEI indoctrination

Army Maj. Gen. Ronald R. Ragin:

• Spoke about #ProjectInclusion to cadets during a panel discussion about

diversity and "Why Representation Matters”

• "We're gonna work hard and we're gonna continue to strive to make
sure that we're the most diverse force in the Army, and that will allow us
to dominate and win on future battlefields” says Ragin

• According to their official webpage, “Project Inclusion is the U.S. Army’s new
initiative to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion across the force and build
cohesive teams…this holistic effort will listen to the Soldiers, Army Civilians and
Family Members, and identify practices that inadvertently discriminate.”

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 • During the ruck march on April 1, Ragin spoke with a lieutenant about the
importance of today’s youth seeing their gender, ethnicity or culture
represented by someone in uniform.

Navy Vice Admiral Brendan McLane:

• Spoke at first-ever Naval Surface Force Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Symposium

• “We have to take the notes from this symposium out to the fleet,” said
McLane. “We have to spread the word. This is just like maintenance; it
needs to be done 100% of the time.”

• ...the Navy needs to do whatever it can to keep top performers around

to serve as tomorrow’s leaders. In some cases, that means building an
inclusive environment where all sailors can feel welcome, as well as
perhaps giving some sailors additional mentoring or training so they
can achieve their full potential and help create a diverse leadership
team down the line

• “Retaining the very best people that we have and promoting them, that
I think is an individual inside-the-lifeline task that each captain has to
take on,” McLane said. “And that’s the reason we’re having this
conference

Navy Vice Admiral Jeffrey Hughes:

• Gave presentation at controversial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion summit in

Suffolk, VA, on April 23, 2022 where he "emphasized the three pillars of DEI in
the Navy going forward”

• Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday failed to answer how much the
summit costed and what its purpose was when questioned by Rep. Jim Banks

• Spoke about seeing success in flexible career progression, education during a

webinar sponsored by #NatSecGirlSquad

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 • #NatSecGirlSquad is a start-up organization that “builds and supports
competent diversity in national security and defense through its
professional development community and strategic advisory services”

• Made opening remarks at Naval Recruiting Command's inaugural "Diversity

Awareness Day" during which he was commander of the NRC (meaning he
likely spearheaded the event)

• Received award from Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers that

celebrated NRC's endorsement initiatives... as well as Hispanic diversity efforts
by the Navy.

• In Dec. 2016 issue of Navy Recruiter magazine, Hughes states "We recently
realigned the diversity team, including city outreach, from the headquarters
N3 (operations) department to the headquarters N9 (marketing and
advertising) department. This move allows us to more effectively focus our
diversity related resources to the most impactful parts of the recruiting
process."

Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott A. Cain:

• Published "unity message" to Eglin AFB after George Floyd's death

• Cain appears in a video with DEI director Cecil Williams discussing the
importance of "having conversations" in the aftermath of George Floyd

• Says, "We really need to take a critical examination of what the truth is
about diversity in our ranks…we celebrate diversity for its strength, but
we need to have a conversation about what it really means”

• "Everyone on our team is coming from a different place, coming with a

different perspective, and some people are coming with a bias whether
it's a conscious bias or not.“

• DEI director Cecil Williams mentions the importance of "unconscious

bias training" which is "now more critical than ever”

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 • Cain oversaw the implementation of a DEI office at Eglin AFB (under the
leadership of Cecil Williams), one of the first in the Air Force, after Floyd's
death

• Cain called the creation of the DEI office his "most long-standing and
significant accomplishment" in exit interview

• Participated (and maybe spearheaded?) a Black Health and Wellness Panel at

Eglin AFB in which he is quoted saying “whether it’s race, discrimination or
sexism issues, these issues are being more recognized. I hope for more
evidence those behaviors are decreasing or going away. I want to see evidence
that the fact we are all talking about those subjects more, leads to change.”

Army Lieutenant General Andrew M. Rohling:

• Made opening remarks at Project Inclusion in Italy

• “Project Inclusion is aimed at enacting Army-wide initiatives that

promote diversity, equity and inclusion. As America’s most respected
institution, we must lead on these issues. We must work to end bias
and prejudice in all its forms, and ensure equal opportunity, dignity, and
respect for all.”

Air Force Brig. Gen. Corey A. Simmons:

• Oversaw the creation of a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force at Vance AFB

• Discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion in a video entitled

“Diversity and Culture Message”

• “Travis leadership team is 100% dedicated to the four principles

foundational to diversity and inclusion”

Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti:

• Delivered a video message at the 2023 Naval Surface Forces Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion Summit, where she harped on the importance of
“connectedness” as a military value

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 • The Summit’s objectives were to:

• Educate – Develop awareness on bias, mentoring, and

psychological safety.
• Listen – Identify blind spots in outreach (accessions) and
equity/inclusion (retention) across the Surface Enterprise.
• Network – Initiate and cultivate relationships, connections,
and cohesion to increase learning.
• Resolve – Propose recommendations for improvements
and subsequent actions

• Liked LinkedIn post about gender bias and inequality

Navy Rear Admiral Neil A. Koprowski:

• Worked with group on Kearsarge that addressed supposed “systemic

racism”

• Koprowski finished his comments, making mention of the Navy’s

‘Task Force One’ initiative, established to combat discrimination
and other destructive biases, in the Navy. … Nearly 30 Kearsarge
Sailors participated in the special task force. According to the
Department of the Navy, this work done by Sailors and members
of leadership throughout the fleet will seek to promptly address
the full spectrum of systemic racism, advocate for the needs of
underserved communities, work to dismantle barriers and
equalize professional development frameworks and
opportunities within the Navy.

Navy Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt:

• Promotes diversity over merit as reason for promotion in interview regarding

assuming Lincoln commanding officer duties.

• “You know, I think the interesting thing as captain, we talked earlier

about the different perspectives that are brought to an organization by
those with a diverse background. It could be race, religion, what part of
the country you grew up in, you know, there’s sooo many ways you can

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 slice into the diversity concept….It really makes us all better and
stronger as an organization.

• Cites diversity as leading criteria for good leaders

• While aboard Stockdale and San Diego, he asked the ships' leadership
and Sailors what they think could be improved throughout the fleet. 'He
is focused on diversity and resiliency of the crew, and I believe him
when he asks how can D.C help,' said Capt. Amy N. Bauernschmidt, USS
San Diego's commanding officer. 'He will be able to enact new policies
and changes in order to make the Navy a better place for all Sailors.'

Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski:

• Actively partners with DEI committee in civilian position at Qualcomm

• Qualcomm Veterans (QVets) employee network (in coordination with

Qualcomm's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Team) proudly hosted the
15th annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony

• Working at Qualcomm, Incorporated (QCOM) is incredibly rewarding

and fun! A pleasure to participate in a Fireside Chat with Akash
Palkhiwala (Chief Financial Officer) titled "The Path to Leadership".
Hosted by QCOM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Emerging
Leaders Group, Akash provided attendees an overview of his career
journey and the leadership skills he utilized and leveraged along the
way and will continue to implement into the future.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Rebecca J. Sonkiss:

• Shares divisive content on social media promoting DoD LGBTQ agenda:

• “It was so great to speak with Atomic Pulse on my experiences being an

LGBTQ+ person in the nuclear and national security space. Mentorship,
outreach, and representation all matter! ”

• Authored article focusing on diversity’s benefits noting, “Beyond gender,

diversity covers every aspect of our lives - from the beliefs we were raised with
to the obvious physical differences among us.”

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 These individuals’ open commitment to DEI and enforced “diversity” reveal them
to be clearly disqualified from leading our brave men and women into battle. We
look forward to their swift dismissal.

Sincerely,

Thomas Jones
President
American Accountability Foundation

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