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    <fireside:genDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 20:37:34 +0000</fireside:genDate>
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    <title>Restore the Military - Episodes Tagged with “2027 Defense Bill”</title>
    <link>https://restorethemilitary.fireside.fm/tags/2027%20defense%20bill</link>
    <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
    <description>Hosted by military veterans Doug Truax and Will Thibeau, Restore the Military podcast is designed to cut through Pentagon spin and focus on real legislative reform.</description>
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    <itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type>
    <itunes:subtitle>Restore the Military podcast explains exactly what is broken in our military—and how Congress can actually fix it.</itunes:subtitle>
    <itunes:author>Hayden Ludwig</itunes:author>
    <itunes:summary>Hosted by military veterans Doug Truax and Will Thibeau, Restore the Military podcast is designed to cut through Pentagon spin and focus on real legislative reform.</itunes:summary>
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      <itunes:name>Hayden Ludwig</itunes:name>
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  <title>The Battle Over Merit in America's Military</title>
  <link>https://restorethemilitary.fireside.fm/the-battle-over-merit-in-americas-military</link>
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  <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
  <author>Hayden Ludwig</author>
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  <itunes:author>Hayden Ludwig</itunes:author>
  <itunes:subtitle>The episode opens with a pointed argument: the Supreme Court's 2023 Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ruling struck down race-conscious admissions in higher education, but the service academies have continued operating under identity-based admissions frameworks using an untested "national security" rationale. Doug and Will argue the legal exposure is real and growing — and that it's better to fix it through statute now than have a court opinion force the issue later.</itunes:subtitle>
  <itunes:duration>14:58</itunes:duration>
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  <description>&lt;p&gt;The Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions in 2023. The service academies are still operating like it didn't happen. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;Doug Truax and Will Thibeau break down the legal exposure, the DEI architecture embedded across the Department of War by directive and instruction, and what a real statutory prohibition looks like — with enforcement teeth, audit authority, and consequences. The window to fix it before the next Court ruling is closing. &lt;/p&gt;
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  <itunes:keywords>Doug Truax, Will Thibeau, Military Reform</itunes:keywords>
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    <![CDATA[<p>The Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions in 2023. The service academies are still operating like it didn't happen. </p>

<p>Doug Truax and Will Thibeau break down the legal exposure, the DEI architecture embedded across the Department of War by directive and instruction, and what a real statutory prohibition looks like — with enforcement teeth, audit authority, and consequences. The window to fix it before the next Court ruling is closing.</p>]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>The Supreme Court struck down race-conscious admissions in 2023. The service academies are still operating like it didn't happen. </p>

<p>Doug Truax and Will Thibeau break down the legal exposure, the DEI architecture embedded across the Department of War by directive and instruction, and what a real statutory prohibition looks like — with enforcement teeth, audit authority, and consequences. The window to fix it before the next Court ruling is closing.</p>]]>
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