Fewer Recruits, Less Strength: The Cost of Whitewashing the Military

The military’s strength doesn’t come from hardware, budgets, or even battle tactics—it comes from the people willing to fight. And right now, the government is making a dangerous bet: that it can whitewash the image of the armed forces without crippling the future.

Under Trump’s administration, military recruiting is being stripped of diversity—not in the ranks (yet), but in the images used to inspire the next generation to serve. The faces of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and female service members are quietly disappearing from marketing materials, replaced by a revisionist fantasy of an all-white, all-male force that hasn’t existed in over a century.

Now, we know just how far the purge goes. A review database of obtained by The Associated Press reveals that tens of thousands of photos and online posts are being erased as part of the Defense Department’s effort to scrub diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) content. 

Among the banished: references to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Japan (because, you know, the word Gay), and the first women to pass Marine infantry training—each a significant part of military history, now marked for deletion.

Stripping diversity from military recruiting isn’t just a slap in the face to those who’ve served—it’s a self-inflicted wound that weakens America.

And it doesn’t stop there. This week, widespread reports revealed that pages from the Arlington National Cemetery website have been quietly erased—specifically those highlighting the accomplishments of women and minorities. Even Medal of Honor recipients haven’t been spared, their legacies wiped from public view for the apparent crime of being Black.

This isn’t just political pandering; it’s a direct threat to national security.

A Military That Reflects the Nation It Defends

For over a decade, I worked on Marine Corps recruiting strategy. Unlike corporate marketing, which chases the most profitable customer, military recruiting serves a higher purpose: to build a force that represents the full face of America.

It used to be that communities were filled with veterans who guided young people considering military service. And let’s clear up a common myth—no branch is interested in recruiting from a pool of juvenile delinquents.

The Marine Corps, in particular, holds itself to three core promises:

• We make Marines.

• We win our nation’s battles.

• We return quality citizens.

“It is the fighting spirit of every Marine that can be counted on to win every battle for the communities they serve—in and out of uniform,” states the Corps’ recruiting site.

“This promise to develop quality citizens is born from our motto, Semper Fidelis—always faithful to those on our left and right, from the fellow Marines we fight alongside to those in the communities for which we fight.”

But that commitment to all Americans is being erased. The administration wants a military that looks like them—except, of course, neither they nor their children are enlisting.

The Fallout of Whitewashing Recruitment

Military recruitment is a simple equation: if young people don’t see themselves in uniform, they won’t consider serving. Scrub diversity from recruiting materials, and you don’t just erase history—you sabotage the future.

Here’s something you might not know: the Marine Corps has never used actors in its ads. Whether they were battling a lava monster in the ‘80s or standing up to bullies in the 2010s, every person in uniform was a real Marine.

The recruiting team took painstaking efforts to ensure those faces reflected the full scope of the Corps—not just the stereotypical white jarhead, but the Black, Hispanic, Asian, and female Marines who have always been part of the force.

Now, the government is quietly erasing those faces from public view, pretending they were never there. It’s insidious. It’s dishonest. And it’s happening just as military recruitment is finally rebounding after years of decline.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

The U.S. military has long been more diverse than the general population. Today, 31.2% of service members are racial or ethnic minorities, according to Defense Department data. That includes:

• 17.3% African American members

• 5.2% Asian

• And a rapidly growing number of Hispanic recruits, particularly in the Marine Corps

But diversity isn’t evenly distributed. The latest military demographics show that:

• The Air Force (70% white) and Marine Corps (69% white) still resemble 1950s America more than today’s nation.

• Black Americans disproportionately fill the ranks of the Army (21%) and Navy (17%), despite making up only 12.1% of the U.S. population.

• Hispanic Americans, despite their increasing national influence, remain underrepresented in recruitment.

• Multiracial Americans—the fastest-growing demographic—aren’t even fully accounted for in military stats.

The Army comes closest to resembling a true melting pot, but the other branches lag behind. The Air Force, in particular, is stuck in a demographic time warp.

A Dangerous Gamble

Stripping diversity from military recruiting isn’t just a slap in the face to those who’ve served—it’s a self-inflicted wound that weakens America.

Deterrence isn’t built on nostalgia. It’s built on a force ready to stand firm—one that reflects the full spectrum of America, ensuring the next generation sees a place for themselves in its ranks.

If the military keeps pretending that only one kind of American serves, leadership may wake up one day to find that no one does.