Senators Worried About ‘Counter-Extremism’ Group Targeting Anti-Awakening Troops
A dozen Republican senators on Wednesday sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asking for more information on his anti-extremism task force and assurances that it will not target those who oppose “l leftist ‘awakened orthodoxy’.
Led by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the letter expresses concern for US troops who may be “unfairly targeted by your new task force against extremism”. They wrote:
As a result of the US Department of Justice’s efforts to silence parents protesting the anti-American racial indoctrination being taught in schools across the country, we are deeply concerned that this latest effort by the Biden administration will target the military who express their opposition to waking up, leftist ideology under the guise of protecting our “national security interest.” The military represent a cross-section of the country they faithfully serve, and hold beliefs and opinions as diverse as America itself. These patriotic men and women come from all origins, ethnicities and beliefs. Our military leaders should honor the diversity of our armed forces, not divide us by forcing false narratives that only serve to alienate our fellow Americans based on the color of their skin.
The letter is signed by 11 fellow senators, including several military veterans: Sens. Rick Scott (FL), Thom Tillis (NC), Kevin Cramer (ND), Mike Braun (IN), Josh Hawley (MO), Tom Cotton (AR), John Boozman (AR), Roger Marshall (KS), Steve Daines (MT), James Lankford (OK) and Mike Lee (UT).
They wrote that “there is no room for extremism in and among our military”, and that the Defense Ministry should:
… Use its resources to identify and neutralize real threats of extremism, such as the Royal Saudi Air Force student who killed two people aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida in 2019; the individual who killed 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard in 2013; and the individual who shot dead 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas in 2009.
“The DoD should focus on the real threats that pose a clear and present danger to our nation – not those who refuse to bow to the awakened orthodoxy pushed by liberal elites in mainstream media, academia and government », They wrote.
Austin vowed during his confirmation hearing to root extremists out of the military, and after being confirmed, created the CEWG to propose a definition of extremism and an update to DODI 1325.06, which bans activities extremists but does not define them. He also ordered a one-day force-wide “decommissioning” for commanders to discuss extremism with the troops. So far, the Pentagon has not been able to provide historical or current statistics on extremists in the military.
There is little knowledge about the activities of the CEWG, which is headed by Bishop Garrison, Austin’s senior advisor on diversity and human capital.
Republican senators, however, wrote that the CEWG’s tasks “appear to be more in line with a military-focused intelligence-gathering effort than an honest effort to improve the DoD.” They wrote:
These tasks include incorporating additional algorithms and processing into social media filtering platforms, and training military leaders on “gray areas” such as reading, tracking and appreciating material and content. extremists on forums and social media platforms. In today’s society, the definition of “extremist” is biased towards the person who creates the definition.
The military follows a clear and unambiguous terminology and application of efforts to counter extremists. However, there is nothing straightforward about understanding “gray areas”, which by definition are meant to be vague and allow the possibility of being used subjectively in a way that deprives Members of Services of using even social media.
They expressed concern over Garrison, who they wrote had “a long history of rabid anti-Conservative bias.”
“In fact, Garrison tweeted that former President Trump was a racist and that,”[i]if you support the [former] President, you support this. There is no room for nuance with this. There is no more talk “but I am not like that”.
They asked Austin to provide answers to the questions:
What type of intelligence gathering will the DoD create to monitor these activities and initiatives, and who will monitor them?
What is your plan to protect the Fourth Amendment military right to due process under the Constitution?
What safeguards are in place to ensure that the CEWG does not have a chilling effect on the military’s willingness to engage in protected political discourse?
How many extremists did the DoD find in its ranks from January 2011 to November 2021?
o Please provide this information disaggregated by year and describe the context for determining that these individuals were extremists.
“Identifying and neutralizing extremist threats in and among our military is an important goal. It is imperative that the Biden administration and the DoD use existing resources to target legitimate threats, and not use this task force like a club to harass or silence conservative members of the military. We look forward to your prompt response to this request, ”they wrote.
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