Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin purposefully walked into a political minefield when he made targeting “extremism,” rather than firm resistance to Chinese, Russian and Iranian aggression, the point of military service during the Biden administration.
So, conservatives can be forgiven if they’re not exactly inspired with confidence about Austin’s denials that his campaign is simply to rid the military of those on the right.
Austin’s problem is that those who work for him undermine what he says.
Testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, according to the Military Times, GOP Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri questioned Austin as to whether backing former President Donald Trump would be considered “extreme” under his anti-extremism policy.
“I said earlier, this is not about politics,” Austin responded.
“I want our troops to, to participate in our political system. I will also say that we will continue to be a diverse ― a diverse and inclusive organization. And that’s what the United States military is all about.”
The Times reported that Austin declined or failed to define exactly what “extremism” is, saying “we’re focused on, on behavior.”
When Fort Walton Beach Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz argued that Austin’s staff is pushing critical race theory on the troops, Austin denied that was the case.
“We do not teach critical race theory we don’t we don’t embrace critical race theory, and I think that’s a spurious conversation,” Austin said, according to the Times.
Yet just last week, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday defended a recommendation to have sailors read the book “How to be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi, which is one of the contemporary bibles of critical race theory.
Meanwhile, before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defended the idea of having West Point cadets study critical race theory.
“A lot of us have to get much smarter on whatever the theory is,” Milley said. “I do think it’s important, actually, for those of us in uniform, to be open-minded and be widely read, and the United States Military Academy is a university, and it is important that we train and we understand,” Milley added. “And I want to understand white rage, and I’m white, and I want to understand it.”
Milley then promoted the liberal talking point by connecting the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot to “white rage.”
Milley disingenuously tried to argue that reading Karl Marx hasn’t made him a communist.
But Marxism never was as widely accepted or implemented as critical race theory has become in recent months, as it has metastasized in universities, the mass media, and corporate boardrooms.
Another problem with Austin’s defense of the Defense Department, as The Free Press reported last month, is the case of Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier.
Lohmeier had commanded the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, until he publicly promoted his book that condemns the spread of Marxism and critical race theory throughout the military.
“The language of the (diversity) training, which most people don’t understand but I help lay it out in the book, was devised by Marxists,” Lohmeier said on a podcast appearance. “It’s intended to be divisive and yet we spread it about the military services pretending it’s going to unify everyone.”
Lohmeier added that troops are unwilling to publicly oppose critical race theory either because they don’t understand it, or fear they won’t get promoted.
“We spend a lot of time talking about Great Power Competition … but we face our greatest threat here at home,” Lohmeier said in that discussion. “If we pursue this agenda, it will divide us. It will not unify us.”
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General. Illy can’t handle the truth.
Man up or get the hell out of the Army.