Trump vows end to military "ideological experiments" at West Point
President Donald Trump declared on Saturday at the United States Military Academy at West Point that military service would no longer be subjected to "absurd ideological experiments" or "nation-building crusades."
Addressing approximately 1,000 cadets at the end of the academic year, Trump emphasised that they were the first graduates who would serve in the nation's "golden age". He deemed this the result of his efforts to rebuild the military and transform American society.
The president assured that the "nation-building crusades" in countries that "wanted nothing to do with us" had ended, along with leadership that subjected soldiers to "absurd ideological experiments".
As noted by the "New York Times," the president referred to his programme of cleansing the government, military, and practically every aspect of life from diversity, equity, and inclusion programmes, arguing that "the nation is worth fighting for again."
Trump credited himself with building a military that is "better than ever before." He enumerated that this increased the number of recruits, morale, and commitment to putting America first in defence. According to the president, his predecessors "subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects and political causes, while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries’ wars."
- All of that’s ended. It’s ended strongly. They’re not even allowed to think about it anymore - he concluded.
"You will become officers in the greatest and most powerful army"
"NYT" noted that Trump also aimed to reform the military by making its ranks less diverse. He removed a four-star Black general from the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and dismissed high-ranking women. He also banned transgender individuals from serving in the military.
We’re getting rid of the distractions and we’re focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before. The job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures but to spread democracy to everybody around the world, at the point of a gun ... And you will become officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military, - the president concluded.
He praised projects, including new "brand-new, beautiful planes" and the Golden Dome missile defence initiative.
The New York newspaper reminded that Trump never served in the military and avoided the Vietnam War draft by citing "bone spurs" in his foot.
