Ron DeSantis reflects on Navy career, warns military is ‘different’ from when he served

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Gov. Ron DeSantis rips debt ceiling deal: We are 'careening toward bankruptcy'

2024 presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the tentative deal on the debt ceiling, his fight for the Oval Office, and his message on Memorial Day. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis emphasized the pressing need to "rejuvenate morale" in the U.S. military as leftist policies and ideologies are beginning to take hold.

DeSantis joined ‘Fox & Friends’ on Memorial Day to explain his plan to implement change if he is successful in his fight for the Oval Office in 2024. He argued the military is not the same as when he served. 

"I see a lot of emphasis now on political ideologies, things like gender pronouns. I see a lot about things like [diversity, equity and inclusion]. And I think that that's caused recruiting to plummet," he explained. "I think it's driven off a lot of warriors, and I think morale is low."

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DeSantis joined the United States Navy in 2004 and earned a promotion to lieutenant. After being stationed in Guantanamo and Iraq, he served as a special assistant U.S. attorney in Florida until 2010. He then served in the U.S. Navy Reserve until 2019.

"The military I see is different from the military I served in," he explained. 

DeSantis said he plans to roll out a program to counter China but maintained the most immediate need is to boost recruitment and reinstate faith in the institution. 

A U.S armed forces recruiting station in pictured in Times Square, New York City. The military has been struggling to find new recruits amongst today's youth.  (Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"Why would you have wanted to join the Marine Corps back in the day? Why did everybody else who joined the Army?" he asked. "I remember being in Iraq, and we were in Fallujah, and it was not going well. And yet people were still willing to sign up knowing they’d get sent to Iraq because they believed that this was something special."

"I think we’ve lost that a little bit." 

The 2024 hopeful promised "big changes" on day one if he gets elected. 

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Over the weekend, DeSantis met with families impacted by 9/11. He said they voiced continued frustrations and a desire to seek justice more than 20 years after the attacks. 

"They've been made promises in the past about getting help, and then basically some of our elected leaders have reneged on those promises. And so I think that they've been punched in the gut a number of times," he said. 

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And though he was in Florida with no connection to New York City, DeSantis’ own military career was inspired by the attacks on 9/11.

"It had a profound effect on our country," he said. "Obviously, to see that right there, the raw emotions from people that were directly impacted was very, very powerful. And it moved my wife and I very much."