For the first time since I joined the Marine Corps in 1969, I am ashamed of the organization. Until now, no Marine Corps commandant has been accused of lying to the American public. On January 15th of this year, General Eric Smith told a whopper. When asked by a group of reporters what the Corps’ position was, Smith answered unequivocally; “As far as DEI, the Marine Corps has not had DEI programs, never have.”
If General Smith does not willingly resign, he should be fired and replaced by one of the retired three-star generals who were forced to retire.
That statement is a bare-faced lie. Starting in 2021, the sitting commandant, General David Berger, slavishly complied with the guidance of the new Biden administration to embrace DEI as service doctrine. Berger went all in. In his human resources guidance called “Manpower 2030,” Berger created a vibrant program to implement DEI across the Corps.
A special assistant for DEI was hired and an office was established. General Smith was the assistant commandant at that time. When Smith became commandant, he did nothing to change Berger’s policies until President Trump made it clear that DEI was persona non grata in the federal government. Suddenly, all mention of DEI was scrubbed from the Marine Corps’ website. Presumably, the commandant’s DEI advisor is — or soon will be — unemployed along with his staff. What amazes me is that Smith thought he could get away with his assertion that the program never existed.
No one has ever accused Smith of being the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but the enormity of the lie is so blatant and the truth so transparent that his incompetence is staggering; did he truly believe that deleting something from a website wipes it out completely?
Smith Must Leave Marine Corps
The general was obviously trying to save his skin in the inept attempt to erase history, but it will probably ensure his firing. The recently canned commandant of the Coast Guard was fired for ineptitude, but at least she didn’t lie about her policies. Smith will likely be terminated both for incompetence and for knowingly making a false public statement.
What the general should have said when queried by the press regarding DEI is this: “In 2021 we complied with the Commander-in-Chief’s directive to implement DEI. The new president has reversed that guidance and the Marine Corps will salute smartly and follow orders.”
I am one of many retired Marines (as well as many on active duty working covertly) to attempt to reverse former Commandant Berger’s Force Design and Manpower 2030 initiatives. The former is bad strategy; the latter is bad policy. Our objections to Force Design were professional, but our distress with the way Smith handled the DEI situation is personal; he disgraced not only himself but the Marine Corps as well. Once a reputation for integrity is lost, it is hard to get it back. (RELATED: The Marine Corps Has Gone Off the Rails)
If General Smith does not willingly resign, he should be fired and replaced by one of the retired three-star generals who were forced to retire for quietly opposing the Berger/Smith policies.
Hopefully, in the next few weeks, Smith will learn the truism of an old saying. “To err is human and to forgive is divine, neither of which is Marine Corps policy.”
READ MORE from Gary Anderson:
Generals Should Win Wars Before Declaring Victory
Sanctuary Cities Are in Insurrection
New York and Cali Could Crumble Like Kabul and Damascus
Gary Anderson is a retired Marine Corps colonel. He served as a special advisor to the deputy secretary of defense.
