Senator grills Pentagon on six-figure DEI jobs advertised across military branches

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Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt calls for investigation into Chinese spy balloon handling

Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-MO., discussed his calls for an investigation into the U.S. military's management of the Chinese spy balloon on 'Fox & Friends Weekend.'

EXCLUSIVE: A senator on the Armed Services Committee is demanding more information from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the Pentagon’s progressive hiring policies, such as the several job listings in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) field that tout comfortable six-figure salaries.

Sen. Eric Schmitt opened his letter to Austin by referencing his March 2 memo to the armed forces citing competition against China as one of the military’s top priorities.

"Despite the serious threat posed by China, which your memorandum appears to recognize, your Department of Defense appears to be distracted by woke issues," Schmitt wrote on Monday.

He asked Austin to "identify how many DEI-related positions exist in the Department of Defense, broken down by service branch," as well as specifics about those jobs’ titles and salary ranges.

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Senator Eric Schmitt, a Republican from Missouri, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"China will not be defeated by DEI," Schmitt wrote in his letter. "Instead, the Department of Defense’s focus on DEI weakens America’s ability to deter or defeat China by diverting resources away from increasing lethality in favor of woke training."

Among the job listings the senator highlighted are a role within the Navy as an administrative specialist for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, the pay scale for which goes up to $183,500, according to USAJOBS.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected on Capitol Hill later this week to testify about President Biden's Pentagon budget request before a House committee. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images)

A position listed within the Air Force under Supervisory Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility would also pay up to $183,500, Schmitt’s letter stated.

Other job openings for Diversity Program Analysis Officers and Diversity and Inclusion Coordinators also tout salary ranges that exceed $100,000.

The Pentagon’s budget proposal last year included "$86.5 million for dedicated diversity and inclusion activities." However, Schmitt noted that details of that plan have yet to be provided for this year.

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"America’s adversaries will not be defeated by spending six figures to hire DEI administrators. The Department of Defense’s prioritization of DEI weakens America’s ability to challenge our adversaries by diverting resources from military preparedness to woke training," the senator told Fox News Digital.

The Air Force Thunderbirds perform a flyover prior to the NASCAR Cup Series 65th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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"The military must be focused on confronting threats abroad with overwhelming superiority, and not waging culture wars at home," he said.

Schmitt asked Austin to respond by March 29 with all DEI-related training materials shown to U.S. troops in 2022, and all such training sessions that were held last year.

Schmitt and his colleagues on the Armed Services Committee are expected to grill three of Austin’s top officials on Wednesday in a hearing focused on the military’s increasingly dire recruitment crisis.