A few days ago, it was reported that the latest U.S. Air Force Academy diversity training program instructed cadets to address people in ways that “include all genders,” dropping the use of “boyfriend or girlfriend” and even “mom and dad.”
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) training at the Air Force Academy in Colorado includes instruction on how to “use inclusive language,” according to documents shared by Fox News Digital.“Use words that include all genders,” the training material tells cadets, warning them to “ask” people what they “call themselves” rather than assuming.Instead of saying “you guys,” cadets are told to use gender-neutral terms like “team,” “squaddies,” “folks” and even “y’all.”“Some families are headed by single parents, grandparents, foster parents, two moms, two dads, etc.: consider ‘parent or caregiver’ instead of ‘mom and dad,’” the presentation states, telling cadets to “recognize diverse family formation.”Equally, they are told to use “partner” rather than “boyfriend or girlfriend.’”
Here is the slide that is the focus of the report:
There are more elements to the training as well.
The diversity and inclusion (D&I) training also includes an exercise asking cadets to separate into small groups and write down as many “G-Animals,” or animals that start with the letter “G,” that they can think of in one minute’s time.”What does this activity show us about the power of combining our diverse perspectives?” the activity asks. “If this were an operational USAF/USSF [United States Space Force] challenge (think COA [course of action] development) what risks might be present if we did not fully leverage the diversity of our group?”
The news engendered a great deal of criticism, mockery, and concern.
The Air Force Academy is pushing back on these reports, calling the overblown.
Air Force Academy officials say that’s simply not what’s happening, and that the wording on the slide in the employee seminar was taken out of context.”The Air Force Academy does not prohibit the use of ‘Mom and Dad’ or other gender-specific terms,” according to the academy. “The slide in question was not intended to stand alone.”The slide on “inclusive language” was meant to “demonstrate how respect for others should be used to build inclusive teams” and ultimately build better offensive and defensive units, said the Air Force Academy. “Until you know a person’s situation,” it counsels, “we should not make assumptions about them.”The words it used to make such a point “began their evolution long before the current conversation took roots,” it said.
Overblown or not, it is quite clear that most Americans want their future military leaders to be focused on science, technology, and military tactics. Whatever time has been spent on this inanity would be better used focused on other subjects.
For example, I don’t think the Chinese are worrying about gender identity as much as technological development.
The rapid expansion of China’s fighter fleet has alarmed its rivals, but its most advanced jet, the J-20, isn’t too much of a concern, the top US Air Force officer in the Pacific said this week.”It’s their most modern aircraft. We’ve had a limited opportunity to assess it. It seems OK,” Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the head of Pacific Air Forces, said Monday at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.The J-20 was introduced in 2017 and is China’s first fifth-generation fighter. Like other Chinese military aircraft, it faces technological challenges, most notably underpowered engines.Beijing, however, continues to develop the jet, making plans to add a better engine and sending it on longer-range operations.”It’s not anything to lose a lot of sleep over, but they seem to be a building a lot of them, and certainly, we’re watching them closely and seeing how they develop and how they operate them,” Wilsbach told reporters.
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