House Intelligence Committee Chairman, Democrat Adam Schiff, claimed that diversity is US' “greatest national strength” and pointed out that the frequency by which the Intelligence Community (IC) has been sending white males to give testimony before the Committee.
“I remain concerned about inadequate progress in recruiting and retaining individuals of diverse backgrounds in the core IC collection and analysis missions," he noted on Wednesday at a hearing on diversity. “For instance, I can't help but notice that the majority of IC briefers, though uniformly excellent, who appear before the committee are often white and male.”
According to the chairman, the IC has been ignoring “the diverse talents and backgrounds found across the country,” for too long and this threatens to harm the ability of the IC to “keep pace with the evolving national security challenges the United States will face in coming years.”
The diversity among some American state bodies has been a hot topic since Joe Biden has taken office. The US president has faced harsh criticism from some GOP members for the abolition of a law that had banned transgender people from serving in the military. The measures were accompanied by a series of recruitment ads aimed at promoting gender and LGBT equality.
Republicans say that the focus on the progressive agenda distracts the US military from its intended purpose. Back in May, 30 House Republicans wrote a letter to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging him to take immediate action against the spread of “radical leftist ideas” among the armed forces. According to the Congressmen, the tendency threatens the national security of the country.
They stated in the document that under the pretext of extremism checks within the ranks of the US military, some officials were given “broad freedom to both catechize and root out service members who will not affirm far-left doctrines.”