In an effort to increase recruitment, the Navy has invited a drag queen, who is an active-duty sailor, to join its pilot “digital ambassador” program.
As America’s military faces a historic recruiting crisis, the new tactic is intended to broaden the Navy’s reach of potential recruits through digital and social media platforms, according to a report.
Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, whose stage name is Harpy Daniels, made an announcement about becoming one of the first “Navy Digital Ambassadors.”
Through social media posts, Kelley highlighted the journey performing on board beginning in 2018 and growing to become an “advocate” for those who “were oppressed for years in the service.”
“This experience has brought me so much strength, courage and ambition to continue being an advocate and representation of queer sailors!” Kelley said in an Instagram post.
“Our Navy is committed to enabling a workforce demographic similar to that of the nation it serves,” the Navy’s latest diversity, equity, and inclusion policy update reads. “With nearly 50% of recruitable talent coming from diverse talent, the Navy must be deliberate to create a culture where every person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed.”
The Navy reportedly said it did not compensate Kelley or the other digital ambassadors. With the initiative ending in April, the Navy is now evaluating its effectiveness and future implementation.
A recent poll conducted by the Heritage Foundation found that 65% of active-duty personnel were concerned about growing politicization in the military.
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti recently submitted written testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, noting fiscal year recruitment for 2023 was projected to miss its goal for enlisted sailors by 8,000 recruits.
“We entered this fiscal year with a record low Delayed Entry Pool after exhausting all means to meet the recruiting goal in FY22,” Franchetti wrote in April. “In FY23, we expect to miss our active duty recruiting goal 8,000 Sailors short of our 37,700 goal. Additionally, we expect to finish 3,000 Sailors short of our 10,330 recruiting goal for the Navy Reserve. We are using all available levers in FY23 to increase recruiting, while maintaining our standards.”
A National Independent Panel on Military Service and Readiness report released in March by the Heritage Foundation suggested poor recruiting success was, at least in part, a result of social policies that have been imposed on the military.
The study found that diversity, equity, and inclusive initiatives have risked “supplanting the U.S. military’s culture of warfighting with a new culture of DEI promotion and compliance.”
* Article From: The Washington Examiner
