Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used a Memorial Day interview to hit back at Ted Cruz's claim the US military is turning 'woke' and soldiers are becoming 'pansies'.
Austin told CNN the US military will never be 'soft' and claimed adversaries like China and Russia 'would like to capitalize on talking points like that'.
'I will not lose one minute of sleep about what the Chinese leadership is saying or what (Russian President) Vladimir Putin is saying.
'What I will focus on, and what I am focused on is the defense of this nation, and making sure that we have what's needed to be successful, he added.
Earlier this month Cruz criticized an Army recruiting video that told the story of how a 'little girl raised by two moms' grew up to become a soldier.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used a Memorial Day interview to hit back at Ted Cruz's claim the US military is turning 'woke' and soldiers are becoming 'pansies'
He compared it with a purported video from Russia showing soldiers jumping out of a plane, doing press-ups and firing a sniper rifle in the snow.
'Holy crap,' he wrote in a tweet. 'Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea....'
The Texas senator triggered online fury after questioning the role of what he called an 'emasculated military' and comparing it with a video that appeared to show a rugged, shaven-headed Russian recruit parachuting into combat.
'The job of the military is to kill the bad guys. And it is to strike fear in the enemies of America,' he told Fox News as he defended himself from accusations that he was unloading on serving U.S. troops.
'People sign up to join the military because they want to keep us safe, they don't want to sit around a circle, emoting and passing daisies back and forth.'
It followed similar criticism of a CIA advert.
Austin said in his interview that the US military is the 'best in the world' because of the people that 'populate our ranks'.
'I think we're doing a great job in terms of recruiting the right kinds of people, providing access to people from every corner, every walk of life in this country. As long as you're fit and you can qualify, there's a place for you on this team.'
He also argued that a diverse military 'must be part of who we are'.
'We represent the United States of America. We ought to look like America and not only in the ranks. But our leadership should look like America
The American video tells the story of Cpl. Emma Malonelord, a serving soldier who describes how she came to choose a life in the military.
The colorful, animated recruiting video describes how she defended freedom by attending LGBTQ marches and grew up to join the U.S. Army.
Cruz's words quickly went viral, unleashing an angry torrent of accusations that he was trolling his own country's American armed forces and had been suckered by an adversary's propaganda.
And veterans expressed fury that he could criticise the Army and target a real-life serving soldier.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both her legs while serving as a helicopter pilot in Iraq, responded by mirroring Cruz's language.
'Holy crap,' she wrote. 'Perhaps a U.S. Senator shouldn't suggest that the *Russian* military is better than the American military that protected him from an insurrection he helped foment?'
Malonelord's story is told in a colorful video, describing how she grew up with two mothers.
Earlier this month Cruz criticized an Army recruiting video that told the story of how a 'little girl raised by two moms' grew up to become a soldier
'I also marched for equality,' she narrates as it shows her at a gay rights march. 'I like to think I've been defending freedom from an early age'
'I also marched for equality,' she narrates as it shows her at a gay rights march.
'I like to think I've been defending freedom from an early age.'
She is pictured as a bridesmaid for her two mothers when they marry, before signing up with the Army, which she says was a way 'to prove my inner strength.'
The progressive veterans group VoteVets also condemned Cruz.
'Ted Cruz attacks a US Army soldier for telling her story, says he prefers Russians,' it wrote on its Twitter feed. 'Because Ted Cruz is a sedition-loving traitor.'
But other conservatives rallied around the Texas senator.
John Noonan, an adviser to Sen. Tom Cotton, shared the TikTok video saying: 'We are going to be the most tolerant military in history ever to lose a war.'
And Cruz himself reveled in the controversy he triggered as he continued to bait opponents.
'I’m enjoying lefty blue checkmarks losing their minds over this tweet, dishonestly claiming that I’m "attacking the military,"' he said late Thursday.
'Uh, no. We have the greatest military on earth, but Dem politicians & woke media are trying to turn them into pansies.'
She is pictured as a bridesmaid for her two mothers when they marry, before signing up with the Army, which she says was a way 'to prove my inner strength
He compared it with a purported video from Russia showing soldiers jumping out of a plane, doing press-ups and firing a sniper rifle in the snow
'Holy crap,' he wrote in a tweet. 'Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea....' Cruz tweeted after posting the two videos
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