It really ought to be obvious, but many of the sorts of young men who join the military and who are attracted to it and would make good fighters are not into transgender troops, women in combat, or flamboyant homosexual men (they're not into flamboyant straight men either). Many of the type of troop we need are attracted to the military because it is -- historically at least -- a men's hierarchical organization. Not only has the military embraced social issues that turn men off, it also offers dual standards (physical standards are lower for women) and affirmative action when promoting (yes... it's still legal for military academies to use affirmative action... they're exempt!). We can either accept this reality and have enough people volunteer, or ignore it, and be where we're at today.

This is not controversial, and honestly is irrelevant to my or yours belief system.

Which is why I asked the question of the purpose of the military. It's not a jobs program. It's to hone warriors who will protect this country. Now, if the Pentagon says we need X warriors and only Y < X show up, this is a problem because the country is undefended. There are a few ways out. Either the pentagon is wrong in its estimates of how many troops are necessary for national security, or, by embracing these novel social issues, the military has eroded national safety, thus negating the very purpose of its existence.