Is Sen. Cruz right 'woke, emasculated military is not the best idea'?

Heather (Yes)

Senator Cruz is right that 'a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea' because the US military should be presented as both strong and powerful in media ads which both Americans and people worldwide will see. Cruz emphasizes that qualities like the toughness, might, and resolve of the men and women who honorably serve in the US military and defend our nation are what should be showcased in these ads. He makes this point clear when he retweets a Russian ad with an American ad as the basis for his comment. 

Cruz is not attacking the US military, and he has clearly stated that he believes 'We have the greatest military on earth.' In actuality, he is defending our military by calling out a specific recruitment ad that reduces them into cartoon characters that could easily be construed as weakening the perception of our military and turning them into a joke. Ads representing the US military are also not the forum to share controversial personal lifestyle choices that do not represent all Americans and potential recruits who have more traditional values. Instead, these ads are an opportunity to share messages that unify our entire nation and bring us closer together. Cruz is right to want our military to be represented in media ads as being strong and powerful in a patriotic and inspirational way that all Americans can be proud of because that is who our military really is.

Kevin (No)

Sen. Cruz’s comments were based on an ad featuring a soldier telling her story, which included the fact that she was raised by two women. According to a US Army press release, these ads aim to share stories 'that represent the diverse upbringings and life experiences that make up today's Army.' Another release from the Army explains the ads were 'tested to assess their resonance with today's youth.' This is not so much about being 'woke' as it is about appealing to the widest possible range of people for recruitment purposes. As Edward Ongweso Jr. wrote for Vice, no matter how the Army changes its 'branding' to recruit new generations, 'it will still be a deadly and well-equipped cudgel of empire.' And as YouTuber Beau of the Fifth Column also points out, these kinds of practices are not new in the US military. As he put it, 'the DOD desegregated before the South.'

Cruz appears to be holding on to an outdated idea of the traditional 'strong male' picture of what a soldier is supposed to be. Further evidence of this attitude can be seen in previous comments concerning women in the military. This kind of attitude has never truly been justifiable. There are examples from even the ancient world that subvert this perception. However, there is even less justification for such an attitude now, as cyberwarfare and other technological fields have become increasingly important in modern military operations. There is no reason to believe that these new recruitment measures will cause our military to become 'emasculated.'