The seeping of far-left ideology into the military — overseen by Democrats and the Biden administration — is a threat to national security, Republican Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt told a group of veterans in Reno on Thursday.

“Many of our military leaders are left of center and are toeing this progressive line,” Adam said during the Military and Veteran Appreciation BBQ & Townhall event. “The ‘wokeness‘ that is infecting our military is dangerous. It makes us less capable as a fighting force. Do we think the Chinese are scared of us when they see what’s coming down the pipe with our military?”

Trump-backed Laxalt, who served in Iraq as a Naval Officer, hosted the event at “The Bunker” VFW post in Reno and spoke about issues facing Veterans Affairs (VA) and the military. He was joined by Air Force Colonel Tony Grady, his former GOP competitor Army Captain Sam Brown, and more than 200 attendees, a third of whom were registered Democrats or nonpartisan voters, according to the Laxalt campaign. The former Nevada attorney general is seeking to win the 51st U.S. Senate seat away from vulnerable incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), often calling her a “rubber stamp” for President Joe Biden’s agenda.

“Veterans of all political backgrounds are getting behind our race because they know I’ll never stop fighting for them,” Laxalt said of the varied turnout at the event.

Laxalt said he plans to improve VA services and hold military leaders responsible for Biden’s botched Afghanistan withdrawal, in which 13 U.S. service members were killed and hundreds of Americans were left behind as the Taliban toppled the government and stole billions of dollars worth of military equipment.

“I’m committed to being part of the less than 20 percent of Congress that are veterans,” Laxalt said, “I pledge to you I will fight every single day, as I did when I was your Attorney General. I will fight for veterans, I will fight for better access and better services, but most importantly I will fight for our military. … We’ve got to turn this thing around to save our country.”

Grady, who is co-chair of Veterans for Laxalt, added that the Biden administration and Democrats like Cortez Masto have failed to hold leaders responsible for the withdrawal.

“Why haven’t we heard anything from our Senior Senator [Cortez Masto]? Why aren’t there any hearings? We have a huge security risk, but the risk is mainly due to lack of leadership. Adam Laxalt represents leadership,” Grady said. 

Between the botched withdrawal, critical race theory indoctrination, and a coronavirus vaccine mandate, the military is struggling to recruit. Even so, thousands of service members have been forced out for refusing vaccination, and thousands more stand to lose their positions. Laxalt noted that he is a “guaranteed vote for reinstating the men and women who were kicked out of the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination.”

Laxalt and Cortez Masto are neck and neck in recent polling out of the Silver State, with Laxalt focusing on inflation and Democrats’ many failures, and the incumbent hedging her bets on abortion and “climate change.” The pair will face off on November 8.

Disclosure: Breitbart News is represented by Cooper & Kirk, PLLC. Adam Laxalt is a partner at Cooper & Kirk. He is not actively engaged or working on any matters for Breitbart News.