The Pentagon's current head of human resources, Stephanie Miller, played a central role in advancing the Biden administration's diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda and enforcing the military's controversial COVID vaccine mandate, Breitbart News reported Tuesday.
According to Breitbart, Miller served as an "architect" of the military's DEI programs, led the effort to keep the vaccine mandate in place even as thousands of service members were forced out, and oversaw policies that expedited citizenship for noncitizen service members — including some who had been deported after criminal convictions.
Retired Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Samuel Shoemate highlighted Miller's record on social media and later told Breitbart that she has been a driving force behind policies that weakened readiness and pushed conservative-leaning service members out of the ranks.
"Stephanie has been an adviser to, and architect of, every decision in the military over the last decade and a half that has harmed military readiness and overall military strength," Shoemate said.
Breitbart noted that Miller's official bio once touted her leadership roles in diversity offices across the Navy and the Defense Department, though those references have since been removed. She also testified in 2022 that the Pentagon had "no plans" to lift the vaccine mandate, insisting it was necessary to preserve readiness.
Critics told Breitbart that Miller helped develop the Immigrant Military Members and Veterans Initiative, which worked with the Department of Homeland Security to fast-track naturalization for noncitizens during the pandemic.
In a 2022 House hearing, lawmakers pressed DHS officials on whether victims of crimes committed by deported veterans were notified when those individuals were allowed back into the country, but received no clear answers.
Shoemate further alleged to Breitbart that Miller was part of a broader effort to "purge religious conservative elements out of the military," citing the disproportionate impact of the vaccine mandate on service members who refused the shots for faith-based reasons.
Breitbart reported that retired officers have been meeting with War Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior officials to accelerate reinstatement for discharged troops. While Shoemate remains optimistic about Hegseth's commitment to President Donald Trump's order restoring those service members with back pay, he warned that entrenched bureaucrats like Miller could slow reforms.
As Breitbart reported, Miller's continued influence underscores the challenge facing the Trump administration in rooting out DEI-driven policies and rebuilding a military focused on readiness rather than ideology.
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