The Left’s Politicization of the Military

The American military is in crisis. Recruitment is down overall, impairing readiness. Lack of interest from conservative demographics is driving much of the decline. Within the ranks, the departure of right-leaning officers and servicemen put off by vaccine mandates and left-wing political trainings has shifted the military’s composition left at the expense of service quality.

These are unique challenges. But they are not unprecedented. In fact, they closely parallel an event little-known in America: the conspiracy of the Left in France’s Third Republic to decatholicize the country’s military. This effort had disastrous consequences — consequences we could learn something from today.

JH

About the Author

Jacob Hornstein

Jacob Hornstein is an incoming member of the inaugural Class of 2028 at the University of Austin.

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The American military is in crisis. Recruitment is down overall, impairing readiness. Lack of interest from conservative demographics is driving much of the decline. Within the ranks, the departure of right-leaning officers and servicemen put off by vaccine mandates and left-wing political trainings has shifted the military’s composition left at the expense of service quality.

These are unique challenges. But they are not unprecedented. In fact, they closely parallel an event little-known in America: the conspiracy of the Left in France’s Third Republic to decatholicize the country’s military. This effort had disastrous consequences — consequences we could learn something from today.