{"id":122360,"date":"2021-02-09T15:02:38","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T20:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=122360"},"modified":"2021-02-09T16:25:18","modified_gmt":"2021-02-09T21:25:18","slug":"gop-lawmaker-says-pentagon-push-to-fight-extremism-in-its-ranks-is-partisan-and-prejudiced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-lawmaker-says-pentagon-push-to-fight-extremism-in-its-ranks-is-partisan-and-prejudiced\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Lawmaker Says Pentagon Push to Fight Extremism in Its Ranks Is Partisan and Prejudiced"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgop-lawmaker-says-pentagon-push-to-fight-extremism-in-its-ranks-is-partisan-and-prejudiced%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=122360&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rep. Bob Wittman (R-Va.) told Breitbart News in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/radio\/2021\/02\/08\/rep-bob-wittman-on-lloyd-austin-what-is-the-definition-of-extremism\/\">recent interview<\/a> that he believes the one-day \u201cstand down\u201d announced by Pentagon chief <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-lloyd-austin\">Lloyd Austin<\/a> in a bid to combat extremism in the ranks of the military is an ill-conceived effort driven by partisan impulses that he called a \u201cpolitical purge.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Austin last week ordered U.S. military commanders to spend time talking to their troops about extremism in the ranks of the armed forces, an issue that has been on the Pentagon\u2019s radar for some time and one that its newly appointed chief has vowed to tackle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYesterday, I directed all CO\u2019s and supervisors to select a date within the next 60 days to conduct a one day \u2018stand-down\u2019 on extremism in the military,\u201d Austin wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecDef\/status\/1358087295887413248?s=20\">Feb. 6 tweet<\/a>. \u201cThis is an opportunity for us to listen, learn, and try to find solutions\u2014and it\u2019s only a first step.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Austin wrote in a Feb. 5 memo that, while he believes the \u201cvast majority\u201d of military service members \u201cserve with honor and uphold our core values,\u201d he spoke of a need to \u201celiminate the corrosive effects that extremist ideology and conduct have on the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will not tolerate actions that go against the fundamental principles of the oath we share, including actions associated with extremist or dissident ideologies,\u201d Austin wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3684754\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Lloyd-Austin-national-guard-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visits National Guard troops deployed at the U.S. Capitol and its perimeter, in Washington, on Jan. 29, 2021. (Manuel Balce Ceneta\/AP Photo)<\/p>\n<p>During the one-day \u201cstand down,\u201d commanding officers and supervisors are expected to talk to their troops about the importance of their oath, describe impermissible conduct, and identify procedures for reporting suspected, or actual, extremist behavior, Austin said.<\/p>\n<p>Wittman took aim at the \u201cstand-down,\u201d saying that he believes it is driven by partisanship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe talked about enemies within the military,\u201d Wittman said, referring to remarks Austin made at his confirmation hearing, with the GOP lawmaker adding, \u201cand by this, they mean extremists on the right within the military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe military is the most diverse institution in America, so I don\u2019t know why they think they\u2019re going find a bunch of white supremacists in the military,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s kind of a Democratic prejudice against the armed forces and law enforcement in general,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand getting rid of people like Major [Nidal] Hassan, Islamic extremists, and if you\u2019ve got information on white supremacists in the military, get them out\u2014but we\u2019re going to pause our military readiness of our entire force to ferret out people who might have had some reservations about the November 3rd election? I think this is crazy,\u201d Wittman said.<\/p>\n<p>Chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said last week that Austin is determined to address extremism in the ranks of the U.S. armed forces and is gathering more information about how best to address the problem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t know how we\u2019re going to be able to get after this in a meaningful, productive, tangible way and that is why he had this meeting today and that is why he certainly ordered this stand-down,\u201d Kirby told reporters.<\/p>\n<p>At his Jan. 19 confirmation hearing, Austin highlighted the need to rid the ranks of the U.S. military of \u201cracists and extremists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Saying that we \u201cowe our people a working environment free of discrimination, hate, and harassment,\u201d he vowed to \u201cfight hard to stamp out sexual assault, to rid our ranks of racists and extremists, and to create a climate where everyone fit and willing has the opportunity to serve this country with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy size-large wp-image-3663999\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Austin1-1200x800-1.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3663999\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Austin1-1200x800-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin prepares to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing to be secretary of defense, in Washington on Jan. 19, 2021. (Jim Lo Scalzo\/Pool via Reuters)<\/p>\n<p>While the Pentagon has yet to define how it will deal with extremism or offer current data estimating how many service members hold extremist ideologies, a 2017 survey\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmdc.osd.mil\/appj\/dwp\/rest\/download?fileName=WEOA1701_ExecReport.pdf&amp;groupName=pubOpSurADComp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>) on racial\/ethnic relations in the military may offer a glimpse. The survey, which was designed to assess both self-reported experiences of racial\/ethnic harassment and discrimination in the military as well as the climate surrounding the issue, found that most\u00a0members denied problems with hate crimes (90 percent), gangs (88 percent), and racist\/extremist organizations (86 percent) at their duty station.<\/p>\n<p>While the problem was more acute in the local communities surrounding duty stations,\u00a0most members denied problems with hate crimes (71 percent), racist\/extremist organizations (67 percent), and gangs (63 percent) in their vicinity.<\/p>\n<p>In speaking to service leaders about troops with extremist views, Austin \u201cnoted that even though the numbers may be small, they may not be as small as we would like them to be or that we believe them to be,\u201d Kirby said.<\/p>\n<p>At his confirmation hearing, Austin offered a sense of how to address the issue of extremism, saying military leaders should be trained \u201cto make sure they are in touch with the people they are leading, that they understand who they are, what they are doing, what they are reading, that they are looking at the environment they are living in and looking for signs of things that could indicate that something is going in the wrong direction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Calling the issue something that you can\u2019t \u201cput a Band-Aid on and fix and leave alone,\u201d Austin said military leaders \u201cneed to be able to talk to their subordinates and instill in them the right types of values.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing engaged more with your people on these types of issues can pay big dividends,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I don\u2019t think you can ever take your hand off the steering wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Stand downs are not uncommon in the U.S. military. They often last a day or more and usually involve meetings between commanders and their units about a specific subject, including safety issues or to address concerns such as sexual assault or suicides within military ranks.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Bob Wittman (R-Va.) told Breitbart News in a recent interview that he believes the one-day \u201cstand down\u201d announced by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin in a bid to combat extremism &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1893014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5235,4004,3914,3761,3688,4005],"class_list":["post-122360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-extremism","tag-fight","tag-lawmaker","tag-pentagon","tag-push","tag-says"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1893014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}