Thirty House Republicans sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, warning him that creeping left-wing extremism and politicization is jeopardizing the United States military’s status as one of the nation’s most respected institutions.
The letter, led by Rep. Matt Rosendale, Sr. (R-MT), said:
We write to express concern about the growing trend of left-wing extremism and politicization in our armed forces. The military’s long history of standing above politics has made it one of the most respected institutions in America and enabled our armed forces to both defend the Homeland and serve as one of the bulwarks of our constitutional order. That legacy is now in jeopardy.
The lawmakers said that under the guise of reviewing “extremism” within the Department of Defense, “political actors such as Bishop Garrison, the head of the working group tasked with defining extremist views” for the DOD, have been given “broad freedom to both catechize and root out servicemembers who will not affirm far-left doctrines.”
“Your order for a ‘stand-down’ to ideologically assess servicemembers appears to have been connected to these efforts,” they wrote.
They listed four examples of growing politicization in the military:
— In March of this year, the U.S. Special Operations Command, which trains and oversees special forces like the SEAL teams, Green Berets, and Delta Force, hired Richard Torres-Estrada to be their first ever Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and announced a new “Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan” for our special forces. Days later, amid widespread backlash, he was reassigned after his vast trove of far-left social media posts came to light, one of which compared President Donald J. Trump to Adolf Hitler.
— Recently the United States Army released a recruitment video titled “The Calling” which describes marching in left-wing social protests as “defending freedom,” depicts “two moms” raising a child, features a lesbian wedding, and refers to the subject of the video’s service to this country as “shattering stereotypes.”5 West Point has come under criticism for an anti-police, racist “Diversity and Inclusion” training that caused consternation among parents and cadets.
— Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, warned of the radical ideology being pushed on our military, recently stating “the diversity, inclusion and equity industry and the trainings we are receiving in the military … is rooted in critical race theory, which is rooted in Marxism.” Instead of rewarding Lt. Col. Lohmeier for sounding the alarm bell on extreme ideologies infecting the military, he was relieved of his command.
They wrote, “This is hardly an exhaustive list.”
“The sole purpose of the United States Military is to protect American citizens, defend American national security interests, and to fight and win wars when necessary. We urge you to use your authority to take action to fight back against the creeping left-wing extremism in the U.S. military,” they said.
The letter was signed by Republican Reps. Ronny L. Jackson (TX); Jody Hice (GA); Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA); Andy Biggs (AZ); Ted Budd (NC); Lauren Boebert (CO); Dan Bishop (NC); Randy K. Weber (TX); Ralph Norman (SC); Andy Harris, M.D. (MD); Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ); Bob Good (VA); Mary E. Miller (IL); Barry Moore (AL); Jeff Duncan (SC); Brian Babin, D.D.S. (TX); Andrew Clyde (GA); Russ Fulcher (ID); Matt Gaetz (FL); W. Gregory Steube (FL); Clay Higgins (LA); Alex X. Mooney (WV); Louie Gohmert (TX); Diana Harshbarger (TN); Barry Loudermilk (GA); Ken Buck (CO); Brian Mast (FL); Chip Roy (TX); and Warren Davidson (OH).