THE CENTER SQUARE—The U.S. Department of Defense is under scrutiny for refusing to release records about exactly how spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion helps with national security.

The Center to Advance Security in America in May filed with the Defense Department a Freedom of Information Act Request, the legal pathway to obtain government documents. The FOIA sought to find out what Pentagon officials estimate is the real impact on national security of DEI spending, for which Congress approved $86.5 million in fiscal year 2023.

However, James Fitzpatrick, an Army veteran who leads CASA, told The Center Square that the Defense Department has confirmed it received the FOIA request, but still has not released any documents more than 100 days later.

“The Department of Defense has stated that diversity, equity, and inclusion is the American military’s greatest strength, but has rarely detailed how,” reads the FOIA, which was obtained by The Center Square. “Given the recent hiring freeze on DEI-related positions, it must follow that national security has been affected in some way. The information obtained is necessary to evaluate the impact of DEI initiatives and financing on prioritizing efforts to advance national security.”

The FOIA request specifically asks for documentation about how the Pentagon estimates a recent hiring freeze on DEI hires will actually impact national security. The Defense Department regularly estimates readiness and national security impacts, especially in its funding requests to Congress for various kinds of equipment, programs, and more.

The most recent National Defense Authorization Act ordered a hiring freeze on new DEI positions while the Government Accountability Office reviews that spending.

CASA filed suit against the Defense Department on Wednesday, a lawsuit that was exclusively obtained by The Center Square.

“If diversity, equity and inclusion are truly the military’s greatest strengths, or there have been times where they have said it is critical to the success of the military, then if the [Defense Department] is imposing a DEI hiring freeze … then there must be a corresponding lack of national security that goes along with it, if their position is spending more on DEI means military gets better and stronger,” Fitzpatrick told The Center Square.

Defense Department officials and documents repeatedly emphasize the importance of diversity in defending the nation.

Under FOIA law, federal agencies are generally required to provide documents within about three weeks. The Pentagon has staff dedicated to handling these requests.

“They are legally required to produce records,” Fitzpatrick said. “They haven’t. They are well over the friendly threshold to provide records, and really, they just need to engage in a conversation. By this point, they very well should have reached out and said they’ve started the search.”

Pentagon spending on DEI has become increasingly common and controversial in recent years. DEI spending includes well-paid DEI hires, training programs on gender pronouns and so-called white privilege for troops, and efforts to recruit nonwhite Americans for certain roles.

The Defense Department’s fiscal year 2022-2023 “Department of Defense Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Strategic Plan” typifies the kind of language federal officials use about the necessity of diversity spending.

The undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness began the report with a message, saying that “leveraging this strategic diversity and expanding access to attract, retain, and advance the best talent our nation has to offer are the only way [the Defense Department] will be able to outthink, outmaneuver, and outfight any adversary or threat.”

“The 2022 National Defense Strategy highlights that for [the Defense Department] to maintain the Joint Force’s military advantage globally and prevent attacks against our homeland, we must build a resilient force by developing and combining our strengths to maximum effect and investing in our people,” he continued. “Advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) across the Department is not about checking a box; it’s about obtaining the critical skills and experience to build the Total Force necessary to secure our nation for years to come.”

The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Originally published by The Center Square