nap

Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier: Does US Have a Fighting Force?

by Media InterviewsMilitary

Matthew Lohmeier was on Judge Andrew Napolitano’s Judging Freedom show:

Some comments on video:

“I am a retired Marine; This man knows what he is talking about and is illuminating exactly what is wrong with the American military.”

“I have 3 nephews, all were / are Active Duty. 2 Navy,1 Army. My eldest nephew was a Navy Aviator. Flew the Growler, F-35s & was an Instructor. He flew some of the stunts in Tom Cruz’s last movie. He & my Army nephew have both quit the Military even though they planned on making it their Careers. Both said,” Can’t take the Woke Cr*p anymore.”

“Well, my son is in right now and he has eleven months left and he will be done! i did 21 in the military. i talk to him and some of the things he says he has had briefings on just leaves me with a WTF look on my face! i told him you do your time and get outta there before something happens and you get sucked into it! they do no real training! he has a rifle that they gave him and he has never got to go zero yet and its been nine months! its all about the higher ups at the expense of the lower enlisted! it is darn sickening to see the e-4 and below get thrown under the bus to make the higher ups look good for promotion! they dont get much ammo when they do train, he is a mortar man and his last time at the range they got maybe 20 rounds to train with but, you can bet ukraine got mortar rounds to fire! it sickens me! “when you elect clowns and they promote jesters, dont be surprised when your govt and your military turns into a circus!” our defeat on the battlefield is going to be catastropic and that defeat is fast approaching!”

“I hope his discharge can be reversed in the next administration. As to the issue of race in the military, his testimony is truly depressing. I was a young Naval officer 50 years ago as our country came out from the Vietnam War and a decade of race riots in the 60s. The Navy took on the issue of racial discrimination/tension head on. I was enlisted to teach a basic course in “Navy rights and responsibilities” probably written by one of the big consulting firms. The training was somewhat amusing but had two takeaways: 1) all members of the military will be treated with respect, regardless of race, or else, and 2) we are here for mission accomplishment, no other reason. Remarkably, this worked for the next 20 years until I retired in 1993. This progress has been destroyed by Austin and Co. I observe this with great sadness and some trepidation about the future.”

“It only takes a couple of minutes into that interview to realise this young guy must of excelled in all aspects of his career. Very analytical and insightful thinking you could he was still in first gear brushing the surface of his knowledge and experience. Definitely need to invite him back.”

“This is an exceptional young man. What is confounding is that the US Military would see fit to turn him out, thereby diluting the effectiveness of their force capability. I say this because it is doubtful the majority of todays military has Lt Col Matthew Lohmeier’s intelligence, integrity, loyalty, commitment of purpose, and I don’t doubt, ability to be lethal when necessary. This fine fellow is a welcome addition to the analysis team. I know his input will be valuable.”

“Listening to this Lt Col. made my blood boil and I’m a Brit! The US needs this kind of individual in charge of its military, not getting fired. Woke extremism could potentially be the death of us all. V sadly, it’s happening here too.”

How DEI Is Weakening The Military with Matthew Lohmeier (TFTC Podcast)

Marty sits down with Lt. Col Matthew Lohmeier to discuss how politics and DEl are dividing and weakening the US military, and how the silent majority can speak up and resist.

0:00 – Intro
6:45 – Politics dividing the military
15:57 – Military of the best
22:28 – DEI harms those it “protects”
27:00 – US weakening is rapid and likely intentional
40:15 – What’s making us stronger?
47:12 – First steps to mending
54:18 – Call to the silent majority
50:03 – Money and incentives
1:02:15 – Define your values

ml-thoughts

LtCol Lohmeier’s Thoughts on Capitol Hill Hearing: This is War

by HearingsMilitary

Former Space Force LtCol Matthew Lohmeier recently spoke at a talk on X about his thoughts regarding the Capitol Hill hearing he testified at, “The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military”.

Listen to it here or read the transcript below:

TRANSCRIPT

LtCol Matthew Lohmeier
“I was asked several weeks ago to testify at the National Defense Subcommittee hearing that is part of the House Oversight Committee. That committee is chaired by Representative Glenn Grothman from Wisconsin, and, of course, you might be aware that Representative Jim Comer chairs the House Oversight Committee, and Mike Waltz is also a part of the Oversight Committee.

Neither Jim Comer nor Mike Waltz are necessarily required or obligated, as far as I understand it, to be in that subcommittee hearing, but both of them came.

I just wanted to share briefly with the group some dynamics that I didn’t expect and share a few observations. And then I’m happy to answer questions.

I noticed that when the hearing started, I’m sure it’s kind of standard, you had the chairman of the committee, Glenn Grothman, and the ranking member, Robert Garcia, Democrat from California, was in his seat. The committee chairman was in his seat, and literally no more than a handful of other congressmen in the chairs already, a few from the Republican side, one or two from the Democrat side.

I’m not throwing spears just yet, but just to say I was unprepared for that, I figured that some would choose to bow out altogether, like Congresswoman Cori Bush from Missouri, and that, in fact, turned out to be true. She never showed.

But what kind of surprised me is that for a hearing that lasted quite a long time–it was expected to be 90 minutes but it was well over 2 hours.

We had both Republicans and Democrats, predominantly Democrats, show up just a few minutes before they were expecting to give their monologue and maybe ask a few questions, and then they got right back up and left the hearing.

The takeaway for me was that there’s a genuine lack of interest, especially from Democrats, to even confront this issue and hear feedback from those who have been called as witnesses for these hearings.

That was evident also when the ranking member, Robert Garcia, closed his testimony at the very end of this hearing by saying, hey, you’ve already lost this battle. He said, I can’t believe we’re even taking time, wasting time to discuss what you allege is wokism in the military, what you allege is a culture war.

There’s this animus from the Left that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

But here’s an important point that I wanted to make that is, I hope, useful in that it gives us an understanding into their strategy.

I watched what happened both before the hearing, outside of that hearing room where I met General Seidule and his son that he brought to the hearing. I saw him go back into a separate private room with Democrats who would be a part of the hearing, and their staffers, I presume, to discuss a game plan.

Based on how the Democrats approached this entire hearing, if you listened to the entire hearing, one thing that you would have noticed was that they seemed to be deliberately focused on the decades past and not on the present moment.

That was evident in some of the lines of questioning. It was evident in their talking points, and it was evident in what General Seidule was prepared to talk about. He talked about his lengthy 30 plus year military career, and he talked about policies like equal opportunity. They talked about integration of races in the military during the Truman administration.

And it’s like, no one is here to argue these things! No one is here to talk about those progressive policies from early in the Cold War. But that’s what they focused on.

Because, and this is the important point, I get the sense that they recognized ahead of time that if they had remotely competent witnesses show up to attack wokism, to attack Critical Race Theory, to attack DEI initiatives and their consequences, they wouldn’t have much of an argument to make.

So what they wanted to do is shame the witnesses into looking like we were there to fight against women in the military or fight against gays being in the military at all. And of course, that isn’t the case. That was one observation I’ve had as I’ve reflected on what I felt and what I saw in the room.

The other point I want to make, I guess I’ve already hinted at, is I was rather dismayed. I mean, I already don’t like Leftist, Leftism, Progressivism, Neomarxism–pick your label.

But to have the tangible feeling to sit in the room and to feel their disgust for conservatism, Republicans in the room, and to hear them thank General Seidule for his service, but deliberately ignore Will Thibeau and I in their gratitude, I mean, it shows that they’ve got a really vitriolic animosity for our values, our worldview.

Again, I know that’s not surprising to anyone, but I saw firsthand that they are determined to wage a battle and they defend it like it’s a religious worldview.

It shouldn’t surprise you also that the same animus is felt and apparent in some of the Republican members–and in my view, rightly so.

That’s some overall highlights for me, takeaways. I’ll tell you, some of the clips that Jordan has posted on her Twitter feed have received a lot of attention. So thank you for that, both on a personal note as well as just overall for getting the messaging of that hearing out.

The House Oversight Committee has been doing a good job putting out clips from the hearing as well. They’ve gotten a lot of views. I mean, Donald Trump Jr. was saying, hey, everyone needs to watch this stuff.

So we’ve had million plus or millions of views in the last 24 hours on specific issues in that hearing. And I’m under no illusion of thinking that’s going to stay at the forefront of anyone’s minds. I know that there’s all sorts of other news going on that’s equally as important.

So I think that’s probably all I should say.  I’m happy to entertain any questions.

Question 1
Matt, I have a question for you. You mentioned the animosity from the representatives. Did you have any feedback from General Seidule afterward? I mean, did he seem to understand what you were saying?

One of the favorite clips of mine that I posted was where you just completely wrecked whatever he said about how he had never seen CRT at West Point or in his 30 year career. You were able to reference the fact that even in your book, you researched that policy proposal from West Point graduates that quoted him throughout their proposal.

So I’m just curious. I saw his face when you said that. I think a lot of other people saw his face in his reaction to that. What was the feedback or if he even had any after the hearing? Did he say anything to you? Because I think most of us understand that the representatives are not going to meet us halfway. But it is very disconcerting when service members like a general who served 30 years, when they are also projecting that animosity towards our values.

LtCol Matthew Lohmeier
Good question. So I’ll share a couple of thoughts. I went out of the hearing room into the hallway and happened to run into General Seidule before the hearing began and met him and his Army veteran son and we had a cordial exchange. I knew the kind of preparation and research I had done on him and what I was hoping to get to say.

So because he seemed like a kindly fellow and I really don’t have—I mean, I have animosity, I have a really strong disliking and frankly, a hatred for evil, but I just have a tender spot for humans. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy even before the hearing started because I was going to attempt to land some blows. I let him know that in advance.

I said, it’s apparent to me, having read your written submission of your testimony, that you and I have a different view on things, and I’m going to make that plain today, but I don’t mean any hard feelings by it, but this needs to be argued. He shook my hand and said, thanks, good to meet you. He didn’t appear nervous whatsoever until–and the reason I point that out is he didn’t appear nervous initially.

But I was sitting in the middle of that table, as you’re aware, and when I got about 30 to 45 seconds into my written oral statement that I wanted to make up front, I noticed he was visibly shaky.

He was picking up his papers and his hands were shaking because I think for the first time it dawned on him that the issues that Will and I were there to directly confront and attack, he didn’t have a good response for.

I think he knew, hey, me and my fellow colleagues up there on the stand have a game plan, but boy, if we go down this road, we don’t really have a good leg to stand on.

And he surely wouldn’t have anticipated that that 40-page policy proposal from West Point graduates was going to come up.

This is kind of a fun anecdote that this group will appreciate. I had spent a little bit of time every day this week preparing for that testimony, trying to turn over new rocks and learn a little bit here and there about things I hadn’t considered for a very long time.

And like a lightning bolt out of a clear sky, I had the thought to go look in my book at that 40-page policy proposal.

Because I saw in my book–it’s only like three pages in my book–that I had quoted a few of these activists. What they were advocating for sounded an awful lot like what General Seidule had been asked to do by Lloyd Austin as recently as a year and a half ago.

So I decided I’d pull up that 40-page proposal and go spend a little bit of time studying it. And I was so glad I did. So I consider that a direct gift from heaven.

I had no thought to look at that, and it just literally was a thought that was planted as clear as day in my mind. So I think we had some help to communicate, some ideas.

My wife was prayerful, others were prayerful. She laughed and teased me after the testimony was over because we have a very conservative family that doesn’t like vulgarity. And I use the word bullshit and something else in the hearing, and my wife said, I was praying for you, that you’d be led by God in what you said, and as soon as I heard you say bullshit, I wondered, God, did you plant that in his mouth as well?

But all of that to say we were prayerful. We took this very seriously.

The feedback I’ve received by private email and through my website and through direct messaging, I’ve been pleased that people who genuinely care about their country and who are patriots in every positive sense of that term and who love God and who desire to see an apolitical military and save their country, they’ve been reaching out, saying, hey, we love you. Thank you. God bless. That means the world to me.

And I’ve got some hate messaging as well, which I don’t really care about very much. So thanks for that question, Jordan.

Question 2
Thank you Colonel Lohmeier, God bless you for what you did. I thought you owned that General to your left. I know that’s not a good operative word, but field grade officer versus general officer, definitely you took the W on that one. But my question is,  the documents. I can’t remember the congresswoman’s name that was questioning you during the clips that I think were shared, probably more than others, but she wanted to take a lot of the documents that you provided, enter them into the records. But she also said she would follow up. Do you know if there’s any plan, tangible, objective plan, for not only the West Point report that you talked about, but also some of the other documents that you had?

LtCol Matthew Lohmeier
My understanding was, and I think they said it at the beginning of the hearing, but I don’t remember the time frame, whether it was 48 hours or 72 hours or two weeks, whatever it was, that members and their staff had a certain time to reach back out to witnesses to bug them for things. I figure probably at the beginning of the next week is when I’m going to look for some follow up.

I did have a follow up call with the chairman of the committee, Glenn Grossman. He wanted to talk for a while after the hearing and share some personal anecdotes and also ask for more clarification on some points that I shared. So that follow up has happened.

I believe it’s possible that it was Congresswoman Virginia Fox  that said perhaps she was going to want to enter some poll data that was compiled by the Heritage Foundation with Congressman Mike Waltz. These folks already have all of this stuff, and I’ll happily submit it again so it can be entered as a part of the record for that hearing. But I’m going to give them the opportunity to reach out so that if there’s multiple items that they’ve requested, I’ll just send everything at once.

I do want to make one more point, though, just for this group. We’ve got warfighters on this call. We’ve got people who are champions. How do I put it? Because I knew that the hearing went fairly well for us, I was asked a number of times how you feel you “owned” the general, is what you just shared.

I’ll tell you, I had really mixed feelings about it. That’s just like the real human element of me.

This is war. This is really a war. It’s not turned violent, but there’s a war that’s ongoing. There’s a lot of rhetoric that’s employed. There’s animosity, there’s hatred.

I feel like I dealt a few blows to a few people who I don’t hate. But it’s easy in civil wars to hate people. In fact, that’s exactly what it turns into.

I left the room feeling like I had done what I was supposed to do and also that I didn’t regret anything.

And that men and women had to go home to their families and live with some wounds for a little while, and that bothered me.

I even reached out to a veteran, in fact, who I respect greatly, and said, yeah, I feel a little bit bad about this. He tried to console me and said, hey, this is necessary, whether any of us like doing some of this or not. Sometimes it’s fun and sometimes we really like it.

That was a reflection of just the nature of conflict, and it gets a lot worse than this. So it’s kind of good to get used to the feeling.

But I do have to run now, and I’m going to jump off and go take a Newsmax call. Will and I are going to join a panel and talk about this very hearing. Thanks for letting me join.

https://starrs.us/matthew-lohmeier-congressional-testimony-statement/

https://starrs.us/west-point-grads-crt-screed-against-usma-influenced-by-former-wp-history-teacher/

11JAN24-hearing1

Hearing Wrap Up: DoD’s Progressive Agenda Hinders U.S. Military Readiness

by HearingsMilitary

(Press Release) The Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs held a hearing titled, “The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military.”

Members discussed with subject matter experts how politically driven Department of Defense (DoD) priorities infiltrating curriculum and training are affecting military readiness.

Members also discussed the military’s prioritization of progressive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and other social priorities versus other military needs which are driving down morale and recruiting numbers.

Key Takeaways:

The DoD has infused progressive ideology into the curriculum and training of the U.S. military, which has no relevant purpose to warfighting. Despite recently failing its sixth consecutive audit, the DoD is requesting more funding to expand its unhelpful and non-essential DEI based program.

  • Matthew Lohmeier— Former Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Space Force—broke down the DEI initiatives being pushed on service members and the desire for these initiatives to be removed: “Servicemembers who wear the uniform of their country do not want to see these things in the military workplace or at their bases. In most cases, this is true regardless of their race or political worldview. Despite that reality, Pentagon officials requested $140 million to expand woke Diversity initiatives in FY2024, up from $68 million and $86.5 million in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and all but three members of this subcommittee voted in favor of it. There are few things taxpayers such as myself feel is less essential to the mission of our military than expanding Diversity mandates and indoctrination.”

The DEI agenda being forced into military procedure has opened the door for race and sex-based quotas superseding the merit-based system. This is a direct factor in the growing issue of the U.S. military missing recruiting targets.

  • Will Thibaeu— American Military Project — warned of the threats of continued politicization of the military: “History is littered with examples of militaries whose consideration of political ideology precipitated a collapse in military professionalism, all of which served as a precursor to the collapse of their respective nations. America should not wait to find out if we can outrun the drumbeat of such history.”

Member Highlights:

Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) examined the harmful ideologies being promulgated by military bureaucracy.

Rep. Grothman: “Is this bureaucracy necessary? Could you comment on it? What do they do?”

Mr. Thibaeu: “It’s a good question what they do Mr. Chairman. The problem that I have is the policies that result from such a bureaucracy. And there is, like you alluded to in your opening remarks, a lot of well-intentioned training, perhaps some of which is necessary. But what is not necessary is race and sex-based quotas that are prevalent in at least two branches of the military. And if it’s a bureaucracy that serves to fulfill those policies that I think do more than simply educate people about bias or promote equal opportunity but in fact promote a system of race and sex-based discrimination, that is problematic and they shouldn’t be receiving any money.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) zeroed in on the non-mission critical, progressive ideology that does nothing to enhance military warfighting capabilities.

Rep. Foxx: “Would learning about whiteness and white rage help promote unit cohesion or a team centered culture?”

Mr. Lohmeier: “The answer is: anyone who is focused on warfighting doesn’t naturally think to talk about these things in the military workplace. We are focused on a particular mission in defense of the country and to deter conflict and to win our nation’s wars.”

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) discussed what has happened in recent years to decrease lethality and morale in the military due to DEI initiatives such as decreased in standards sheerly for diversity’s sake.

Rep. Biggs: “Mr. Lohmeier, what has happened over the last three years that has caused lethality to deteriorate in the military?”

Mr. Lohmeier: “There’s been an overt politicization of the military workplace and the forcing of trainings that are anti-American, that criticize our founding fathers, that allege that white supremacy is a problem within the military ranks which has never been proven and all of that rhetoric that occurred when Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin took office, led to a bunch of moaning and complaining behind closed doors of our service members and I heard it as a commander.”

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who waived onto the subcommittee hearing, discussed how authors of DEI and CRT initiatives describe methods that are inherently racist because they use race to take or give positions within the military away, leading to a zero-sum game.

Rep. Waltz: “What these authors say is that ‘if you are white you are incapable of not being racist’ that in and of itself, is racist sir. And by the way, these [authors] were lecturers at the Air Force academy. That is divisive, destructive, and wrong. Finally, we have data that shows as Mr. Lohmeier has testified to, 62% of active-duty military members are seeing a politicized military. 65% would recommend their child not join, and now we are in a recruiting crisis. This is why these hearings are so necessary.”

Watch the hearing. (Starts at 21:00 mark)

tyse2

West Point grads CRT ‘screed’ against USMA influenced by former WP History teacher

by HearingsMilitary

At the Capitol Hill hearing on progressive ideologies in the military originally had two witnesses, Matt Lohmeier and Will Thibeau.

At the last minute, the Democrat side of the committee brought in as their witness retired Army Brig. General Ty Seidule, former head of the history department at West Point (where he taught for 20 years), author of the book, “Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause”, and proud member of the DOD Renaming Commission.

The General was rather shockingly naive and unaware in his statements about the radical leftist agenda push in the military and service academies and seemed to be living in a bubble. It appeared he was hearing for the first time the facts that Matt, Will and other Republican politicians were presenting.

For example, he didn’t know the different between equal opportunity and equity (the “E” in DEI). See here.

He said that West Point was not teaching Marxist-rooted Critical Race Theory (CRT), even though so much has been written on this in the past three years, including over 600 pages from FOIAs. See all articles: https://starrs.us/category/west-point/

But the biggest shocker was something Matt brought up about the General’s influence on a 40-page “anti-American, race-baiting, communist screed” that a group of West Pointers wrote right after they graduated, accusing West Point of being institutionally racist. The paper references throughout– as justification for their CRT beliefs–articles and lectures by their history professor, Gen. Seidule.

As background, during 2020 graduation week, several Black Cadets in the 2020 graduating class raised concerns on the state of racism within the Corps of Cadets to the Superintendent.

Shortly following graduation, a group of nine left-wing 2018 and 2018 USMA graduates wrote the paper titled “An Anti-Racist West Point,” and sent this paper to The Secretary of the Army, Chief of Staff of the Army and USMA leadership. Within days of its distribution, it went viral and the paper circulated on social media outlets.

“This is a call to action. The United States Military Academy has not taken the necessary strides towards uprooting the racism that saturates its history. We are calling upon West Point and its leadership to redress three major failures:
1. Systemic racism continues to exist at West Point.
2. Anti-racism is not part of the curriculum at West Point.
3. The conditions for an anti-racist space are not present at West Point. . . . .

Note that according to CRT, it’s not enough to not be racist, you must actively be an “anti-racist” and go along with their CRT agenda–or you are a racist. (See our Resources for many sources to help explain CRT)

In July 2020, USMA Superintendent LTG Darryl Williams directed the Inspector General Office to conduct a special inspection following this complaints of racial misconduct at West Point.

The Report of Special Inspection Assessment of Race or Ethnicity Based Treatment of Cadets at the United States Military Academy (pdf)

The inspector found:

  • There are no structural barriers to reporting EO complaints
  • There are inaccurate perceptions about handling of misconduct, discipline and honor cases for minority Cadets
  • Black Cadets tend to earn lower Military Development grades than their White counterparts
  • There was no evidence found of institutional racism

Watch Matt refute the General’s statement about CRT not being taught at West Point:

Congressman Waltz presses former West Point History instructor to define Equity

(Press Release) On Thursday, U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-6) questioned Brigadier General Ty Seidule (Ret.), former head of the history department at West Point and House Democrat witness, on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives at U.S. service academies and the definition of equity during the House Oversight & Accountability Committee hearing on the Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military.

Watch the full exchange:

“You testified earlier that you have not seen Marxism, Critical Race Theory, you do not know where it is in the military or where it is at West Point. Is that accurate?” Waltz asked Seidule.

“I had not heard of it until it became a national issue,” responded Seidule.

When asked if he was aware of it being taught at West Point, Seidule said he did not.

Explaining what Critical Race Theory is, Waltz said, “The theme is that white people are enraged, not a hundred years ago, not fourty years ago, which you are talking about with the sixties and seventies. It’s today. White cadets, white people are enraged by Black advancement.”

“I think, Congressman, the great thing about education is you can get a variety of different perspectives. It is not training, which is what some of my colleagues have talked about. I am talking about education. You want to hear the broadest representation of every viewpoint,” said Seidule.

“This is the very clever approach of the Left to conflate history with current day training.” Waltz asked, “would you agree that Critical Race Theory is a foundation for DEI?”

“No, I would not,” Seidule said. “DEI goes back to equal opportunity in the early part of the 1970s.”

Waltz went on to ask what the difference between equity and equality is. Seidule did not directly answer the question, so Waltz asked again, “What is equity?”

Seidule responded, “I don’t know what it is, Congressman.”

“Diversity, equity, inclusion is part of everything. There’s a DEI office in the Pentagon… you don’t know what equity is? You can’t testify to what equity means?” Waltz continued,

“Well, I will tell you since you don’t know, it is equal outcomes for all, which is a hallmark of Marxism. DEI is Marxist based, as is Critical Race Theory.”

“Let’s progress since, I mean, apparently, the expert doesn’t know what equity is in DEI,” said Waltz. “I would like to enter in for the record class composition with racial goals for West Point. You just testified under oath you were in the admissions office.”

Seidule responded, “I wasn’t in the admissions office, I was on the admissions committee for one year and I know there were no quotas, is what I said, Congressman.”

“So, we are going to parse over quotas and goals?” asked Waltz.

Waltz then pointed to the document and said, “This is from the superintendent and here are the goals. It has African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Women with percentages. We have ‘red’ here for when they missed those goals.”

Seidule countered that “some athletes are there… and the largest number of people that are recruited at West Point are athletes at 25%.”

Waltz continued, “When you say your directive is to advance one group based on the skin color, you have to take those slots from another group based on their skin color. It’s a zero sum… The athletes get broken down by their skin color in this chart that you just said doesn’t exist.”

“Here’s a memorandum from the Secretary of the Air Force with White, Black, Asian, American Indian. I mean, I think my wife, who is an Army veteran and who is Arab, didn’t have a place, I guess, in this chart,” said Waltz. “Here you have current percentages and a mandate to increase those percentages, you have to take those slots from someone else based on ethnicity.”

Waltz pointed to a poster of the “key proponents of CRT” and summarized the quotes, “What these authors say is that if you are white, you are incapable of not being racist. That in and of itself is racist, sir. By the way, these were lecturers at the Air Force Academy. That is divisive and it’s wrong and it’s destructive.”

Waltz continued, “We have data that shows, as Mr. Lohmeier has testified to, 62% of active-duty military members are seeing a politicized military. 65% would recommend their child not join. Now, we’re in a recruiting crisis. This is why these hearings are so necessary.”

“You are right, Mr. Seidule, in that Congress drives change. This Congress has banned Critical Race Theory in the military in this defense bill, we have eliminated the hiring of divisive DEI bureaucrats.”

“WE are going to drive this change to get our military back to a meritocracy with equal opportunity for all.”

“You cannot fight racism with more racism and you have to have data.”

“Do you have any data that shows that a more or less diverse submarine, bomber, brigade, is more or less lethal?” asked Waltz. “I’m talking about the crew.”

Seidule was unable to answer the question.

“Do you have any data that shows by percentage a more or less, let’s say bomber crew, let’s say brigade, whether it’s fifty percent Black, ten percent Black, thirty percent Jewish, any of these societal factors, data that drives readiness?” asked Waltz.

Seidule was unable to provide the data in question.

https://starrs.us/records-show-critical-race-theory-propaganda-at-west-point/

https://starrs.us/west-point-teaching-marxism/

https://starrs.us/teaching-cultural-marxism-at-west-point/

ETC ETC ETC: https://starrs.us/category/west-point/

 

morvid

Video Excerpts from Capitol Hill Hearings

by HearingsMilitary

Videoclips from the Capitol Hill hearing where Matthew Lohmeier presented testimony and answered questions: The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military

SHOCK MOMENT: Anti-DEI Witness Sounds Off After Fiery Clash With Jamie Raskin

‘Does The Color Of Your Skin Matter When You’re In The Trenches?’: Mace Questions DEI In Military

Comments on video:
“As a Veteran, I’ll say color didn’t mean shit in the Army in the early 2000s while I was in. My Drill Sergeant told us we are all one color, green, and I can tell you that when you’re in a foxhole with someone, that man is your brother and vice versa.”

“Same here bro. I joined the Army in ’81 and 2x a warrior. During my service we look at each other as an American warriors and nothing else. I wouldn’t serve under a WOKE DRAG QUEEN MILITARY TODAY.”

“Being it’s the weekend before we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday, we went from him saying “it’s not the color of your skin, it’s the content of your character” to “the only thing that matters is the color of your skin”. He must be rolling over his grave.”

‘Is That Not A Quota?’: Anti-DEI Witness Slams Air Force Diversity Goals
At last Thursday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) questioned witnesses about DEI in the military, and Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier (Ret.) slammed the diversity goals of the Air Force.

Pat Fallon Questions Witness About Pervasiveness Of White Supremacism In The Military
At Thursday’s House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) questioned witnesses about DEI in the military.

Katie Porter Asks GOP Witness If He Agreed With President Truman’s Action To Integrate The Military
At a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) spoke about DEI in the military.
(Mixing “Trump” for “Truman” twice, the Congresswoman has Trump living rent-free in her brain)

Scott Perry Takes Shot At Goldman At Hearing On ‘Risks Of Progressive Ideologies’ In The Military
At a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) spoke about DEI in the military.

Painful, the cluelessness. From a comment on the video: “Never have such loaded softball questions been answered with such obviously scripted political drivel.”

Lawmaker Asks Retired Military General Point Blank If Antifa Is ‘Infiltrating’ The Military
At a House Oversight Committee hearing on Thursday, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) spoke about DEI in the military.

Powerful statement by Congressman Higgins during the hearing on progressive ideologies in the military on Capitol Hill, 11 January 2024:

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Matthew Lohmeier Congressional Testimony Statement

by HearingsMilitarySpeeches

Former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier gave this statement at the “The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military” hearing for the Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs on 11 January 2024:

Good morning. My name is Matt Lohmeier and I’m an Air Force Academy graduate, former F-15C fighter pilot, and was a Lieutenant Colonel and commander in the Space Force.

In 2021, I was fired from my command in the Space Force for trying to reverse the trend of the overt politicization of the Uniformed Services.

Specifically, I criticized the military’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trainings, which, at my own base, were illegally occurring despite an executive order from the commander-in-chief.

I watched these trainings divide our troops ideologically and, in some cases, sow the seeds of animosity towards the very country they had sworn an oath to defend.

I submitted a formal written complaint to the Space Force Inspector General (see Exhibit 5) detailing that such violations were occurring, including illegal race-based discrimination, but my complaint was never investigated and was later dismissed by then-Lt Gen Stephen Whiting, whom the Senate just confirmed for his fourth star.

After two months, I received a written dismissal of my complaint from General Whiting (see Exhibit 6).

After my complaint was dismissed, I wrote a book explaining that the DEI industry, which is steeped in critical race theory, is rooted in anti-American, Marxist ideology, and demonstrated its divisive impact on our troops.

I explained that DEI initiatives and trainings were dividing our armed forces precisely because CRT was created by those who harbored the intention to undermine and destroy the fabric of American society.

I warned that our recruitment and retention would plummet if we continued to foist such a divisive ideology on the men and women in uniform.

Personally, I have always advocated for a non-political military work environment.

Today, I’m here to testify about the ongoing Marxist-inspired efforts to subvert and weaken our military and broader American society.

We often refer to these efforts as wokeism; it is a culture war. Yet, even in this committee, there are differing views about whether there is such a thing as a “culture war” under way.

Some members of this committee have been outspoken critics of DEI initiatives, CRT, drag shows on military bases, and LGBTQ pride celebrations and woke military recruiting videos—all things that are components of an ongoing culture war.

Ranking member Garcia, on the other hand, asserted as recently as two weeks ago in a tweet that the culture wars are “phony” and are merely a political talking point of Republicans (see tweet from December 31, 2023).

But I assure you that Congressman Garcia’s view is NOT the view of many men and women in uniform who labor under the constant burden of race identity politics in the military workplace, and what appears to them to be the destruction of the merit- based system, whether deliberate or incidental.

It’s nothing if not incredible for a member of this committee to assert the culture wars are “phony” while another member of this committee is a member of the so-called progressive ‘Squad,’ was herself a Black Lives Matter organizer and activist (an organization whose publicly avowed ideology is Marxist), and whose ambition for a seat in Congress was, in her own words, “to accomplish a mission”—no doubt a social and cultural mission, as she says she “doesn’t need to take off her activist hat to legislate in Congress.” She claims her activism has been her “guiding force.”

Servicemembers who wear the uniform of their country do not want to see these things in the military workplace or at their bases. In most cases, this is true regardless of their race or political worldview. Despite that reality.

Pentagon officials requested $140 million to expand woke Diversity initiatives in FY2024, up from $68 million and $86.5 million in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and all but three members of this subcommittee voted in favor of it.

There are few things taxpayers such as myself feel is less essential to the mission of our military than expanding Diversity mandates and indoctrination.

Such aggressively opposed ideological worldviews competing for institutionalization through policy epitomizes and formalizes what is properly termed a culture war.

It is an American-Maoist culture war.

The fact that these debates now infect the US military workplace is an offense to people like me who love their country and all people—regardless of race, gender, or background.

I’d like to briefly draw attention to two of a handful of exhibits I have submitted for the committee’s review and for entry into the official record of today’s hearing.

THE FIRST of the exhibits is a 100-page document (see Exhibit 1) which includes real-world unsolicited feedback from military servicemembers, veterans, and parents about the consequences of this administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

It is, I imagine, merely a small part of the overall discontent and disappointment experienced by those who presently serve.

I submit it for the record because to spend even a few minutes with the document is to get a sense for the ways in which the innocuously labeled “DEI trainings” are hurting morale, dividing and distracting troops, disincentivizing Americans from service, and thereby destroying our recruiting and retention efforts.

Further, it is destroying the image of the United States military, which is a critical component of the proper communication of national strength to both allies and enemies alike. We now appear weaker because we are weaker (see Exhibit 7).

THE SECOND exhibit I’d like to mention is a letter signed by 185 retired General and Flag Officers (see Exhibit 2) that is dated May 20, 2023, and was previously sent to then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as well as other House leaders. I have confirmed that those to whom the letter was addressed received it.

For the same reasons as those I’ve previously stated, the letter “requested that Congress, pursuant to its Constitutional powers .. . take legislative action to remove all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from the Department of Defense (DoD).”

It also requested that Congress “ensure that no DEI related policies, programs, and funding are included in the 2024 NDAA.”

These leaders warned:

“As our Nation faces looming threats from ‘foreign’ adversaries/enemies, our military is under assault from a culture war stemming from ‘domestic’ ideologically inspired political policies and practices. IF NOT STOPPED NOW, they will forever change the military’s warrior ethos essential to performing its mission.”

Despite their request and warning, and despite some genuine efforts of some members of the House, the Congress ultimately DID NOT use the power of the purse to put an end to DEI policies, programs, and funding in the recently approved NDAA.

The men and women who sent that letter raised the warning voice and tried their best to respectfully influence our Nation’s lawmakers.

Both of these exhibits I have mentioned are publicly available at the STARRS.US website.

I said in my book that if we did not abandon the diversity and inclusion trainings, then we would see unprecedented “recruitment and retention woes.”

That has been true and we have seen as a Nation that it is not getting any better.

I also said that unless we abandon our present hate-filled and divisive path, and repent as a nation, we will destroy ourselves.

I reaffirm that view here today, and I’m grateful to answer any questions the committee may have for me.

Exhibits
1. “What Military Service Members, Veterans and Parents Are Saying: Evidence that the CRT/DEI/Woke agenda being pushed in the military is harming morale, recruitment and retention” (100 pages)
2. Flag Officers 4 America Letter, dated May 20, 2023
3. Lt Col Lohmeier_Summary of Military Record (ranked #1/753 Space Force officers at time of promotion to Lt Col)
4. Lohmeier_Civilian CV
5. Lt Col Lohmeier_Space Force IG Complaint Citing Marxist Teachings
6. Lt Gen Stephen Whiting’s Dismissal of the IG Complaint
7. Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of US Military Strength Report

Full Statement with Exhibits (pdf)

 

Watch his statement (starts at 35:48 mark):

11jan23hearing

Matthew Lohmeier Testifying on Capitol Hill on Dangers of CRT/DEI ideology in the military

by EventsHearingsMilitary

Matthew Lohmeier was called to testify at the January 11, 2024 hearing, “The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military”, which is to explore the politically driven DoD priorities that are affecting military readiness and examine the military’s prioritization of progressive programs such as DEI programs and other social priorities versus critical military needs.

Matthew Lohmeier Congressional Testimony Statement (pdf)

Watch: (jump to 21:00 minute when hearing starts)

BACKGROUND:

Grothman Announces Hearing on Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military (January 4, 2024)

WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Chairman Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) will hold a hearing titled “The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military.”

The subcommittee hearing will explore the politically driven Department of Defense (DoD) priorities that are affecting military readiness and examine the military’s prioritization of progressive programs such as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and other social priorities versus critical military needs.

“Our military has one primary function: defend Americans and American interests at home and abroad. At least this was the primary function until the Biden Administration force fed progressivism into the branches of the armed services.

“Due to an avalanche of foreign policy blunders by the Biden Administration, the world is a less safe place.

“The men and women who bravely serve within the military must stay focused on combat readiness, not left-wing objectives which serve no military purpose.

“It is imperative to extract this poisonous and unhelpful thinking from our military and return the armed services to their core functions,” said Subcommittee Chairman Grothman.

WHAT: Hearing titled “The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military”

DATE: Thursday, January 11, 2024

TIME: 10:00 a.m. ET

LOCATION: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

WITNESSES:

  • Will Thibeau, Director, American Military Project
  • Matthew Lohmeier, Space Force Veteran, Author

The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at https://oversight.house.gov/.

.

Hearing Date: January 11, 2024 10:00 am 2154 Rayburn

The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military

Subject: The Risks of Progressive Ideologies in the U.S. Military
Date January 11, 2024
Time 10:00 am
Place 2154 Rayburn
National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs

Witnesses and testimonies:

Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier (Ret.)
Document

Brigadier Gen. Ty Seidule (Ret.)
Document

Mr. Will Thibeau
Document

dab

Space Force General demonstrates being politically partisan

by Military

LTC Matthew Lohmeier: I was once fired from command in the @SpaceForceDoD for allegedly “being politically partisan while acting in an official capacity.” That allegation was totally false. Lt Gen Burt here demonstrates what being politically partisan while acting in an official capacity really looks like.

The more I reflect on these remarks the more I realize just how foolish they are. Because many of them seem to actually have been brainwashed into believing this garbage, senior military leaders can’t help themselves from now driving away talented recruits and their most qualified servicemembers. Ideologues will never attract sane patriots to join or stay in an all-volunteer force. The rest of the senior leaders who don’t believe in this nonsense appear to lack courage. Their cowardice is largely the result of fear.

Starts at her speech:

 

 

 

 

 

Candidate Selection Based on Worries About ‘Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws’ Reinforces Woke Military Concerns (Townhall, 16 June 23)
Earlier this week, video clips from last week’s Pentagon Pride event resurfaced, in which Space Force Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt admitted that she is “compelled to consider a different candidate and perhaps less qualified” for squadron command based on the state where the candidate lives.

Burt had been lamenting the rise in “anti-LGBTQ+ laws” being introduced and the supposed effect it could have on force readiness. Introducing those laws, Burt claimed, “demonstrates a trend that could be dangerous for our service members, their families, and the readiness of the force as a whole.”

“I strive to match the right person to the right job,” Burt offered. While she does look at candidates based on “job performance and relevant experience first,” there is a “however” in there. “However, I also look at their personal circumstances, and their family is also an important factor,” she went on to say.

“If a good match for a job does not feel safe being themselves and performing at their highest potential at a given location, or if their family could be denied critical healthcare due to the laws in that state,” is why Burt said she may be “compelled to consider a different candidate and perhaps less qualified.”

This “critical healthcare” that Burt spoke about at the Pride event has to do with irreversible procedures performed on children that involve not just puberty blockers and hormone therapies, as well as the health problems that come with that, but genital mutilation and sterilization.

That this wokeness and targeting of children is affecting the military is particularly concerning. If there’s any concern about “readiness,” it’s to do with the idea that a candidate would be selected based on anything other than his or her job qualifications, demonstrating an overall a lack of proper priorities.  . . . .  (read more on Town Hall)

Space Force general decries ‘anti-LGBTQ+’ laws at Pentagon Pride event, claims they affect hiring decisions (Fox News, 15 Jun 23)
A high-ranking officer in the U.S. Space Force used her speech at a Pentagon pride event last week to rail against what she called “anti-LGBTQ+ laws” introduced in state legislatures across the country.

Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, deputy chief of space operations, also claimed that such laws affect her hiring and promotion decisions, sometimes leading her to choose a “less qualified” candidate because of a preferred candidate’s “personal circumstances.”

“Transformational cultural change requires leadership from the top, and we do not have time to wait,” Burt told those attending the event. “Since January of this year, more than 400 anti-LGBTQ+ laws have been introduced at the state level. That number is rising and demonstrates a trend that could be dangerous for service members, their families, and the readiness of the force as a whole.” . . . . (read more)

Anti-constitutional military leadership is becoming more brazen (American Thinker, 17 Jun 23)

 

taxpayers

Air Force uses taxpayer money for personnel to travel to pride events in DC

by Military

A memo (below) sent out from the Department of Air Force Office of Diversity and Inclusion encouraged personnel to attend various pride events at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

They reminded them that according to government regulations, they can travel for free to DC, paid for by their unit (which is funded by American citizens tax dollars):

“In accordance with the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR) Section 030201 “Conference Attendance and Participation”, Air and Space Force Commanders are authorized to utilize unit funds for their Air and Space personnel to travel to, and participate in, this year’s DAF Pride events if approved by their individual supervisory authority.

Service members or civilian employees may attend conferences at the unit expense to maintain and improve professional competency or to improve management of the Department’s functions and activities. Attendance is not mandatory at this event.”

In case personnel had difficulty trying to convince their supervisor to allow them to leave their duties and travel at government expense to the nation’s capitol (great tourist spot), a sample memo request was provided (below).

But how to justify official travel to pride events rather an activity having to do with, say, readiness and warfighting? The memo provides guidance for that too. Go under the mantra of “Diversity and Inclusion”:

“b. Air Force Instruction (AFI) 36-7001, Diversity and Inclusion.

It is the Air Force’s mission to “…develop and retain a high-quality, diverse Total Force, ensuring a culture of inclusion in order to leverage the diversity of the nation for strategic advantage in Air Force, joint and coalition operations.”

(Para 1.2) “Airmen, military and civilian, must be deliberately developed to apply diversity and inclusion competencies to the Air Force mission, in order to effectively achieve individual, organizational, and operational excellence.” (Para. 1.5)”

Do everything you can to twist and turn to justify using American taxpayer dollars to send yourself for free to DC.

Also notice that phrase, “Airmen, military and civilian, must be deliberately developed to apply diversity and inclusion competencies…” Sounds like a job for Military Political Commissars. Just like Communist Russia had.

LTC Matthew Lohmeier, who was the first to call attention to this on Twitter, said,

“Even if you’re not into all that Pride stuff, this is your shot at an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC with your friends. Why sit it out?! Be sure to visit with some members of Congress while you’re there to let them know how you got there.”

Yes, let members of Congress know you used government money which came from hard-working Americans to attend a non-warfighting event.

 

Click on graphic to enlarge:

 

cancnafb

DOD: No drag events at U.S. military installations or facilities

by Military

A win in the culture war battle! Matt Lohmeier was the first to call  attention to the Nellis AFB drag show on Twitter, which prompted the notice of many on Capitol Hill. Now the DOD is banning all drag shows on military bases.

The Department of Defense issued this statement:

“Per DoD Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), certain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in non-Federal capacity to use DoD facilities and equipment. As Secretary Austin has said, the DOD will not host drag events at U.S. military installations or facilities. Hosting these types of events in federally funded facilities is not a suitable use of DOD resources.”

The no-age limit drag show scheduled at Nellis Air Force Base was then canceled:

“Consistent with Secretary Austin’s congressional testimony, the Air Force will not host drag events at its installations or facilities. Commanders have been directed to either cancel or relocate these events to an off-base location,” an Air Force official said when asked about the Nellis event.

US Senators and Representatives had opposed drag shows on military bases, which SECDEF Austin and C/JCS Gen. Milley denied was happening.

(NBC) At a House Armed Services Committee hearing on March 29, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., angrily questioned Austin and Milley about drag queen story hours on bases around the world, including in Montana, Nevada, Virginia and Germany.

“Drag queen story hours is not something that the department funds,” Austin told the committee.

Milley chimed in, asking to see the flyers for the events Gaetz was referring to and saying he was not aware of such events and does not support their being held on military bases. “I’d like to take a look at those, because I don’t agree with those,” Milley said.

The drag show at the officers club on Nellis AFB was apparently the last straw. News reports state:

When Milley was informed about the event this week, he was visibly angry about the decision to host the event on base, a U.S. official and a defense official said.

LTC Lohmeier sent word that the Nellis show was canceled per DOD:

Keep up the pressure! Drag shows mock real women and sexualize children. See a drag queen tell what these shows are really about.

 

Pentagon leaders cancel drag show at a Nevada Air Force base (NBC News, 31 MAY 23)

Defense Department leaders have stepped in to stop a drag show scheduled for Thursday at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, according to two defense officials and a U.S. official.

The show, which was in celebration of Pride Month, was approved by Air Force leaders, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, told the Air Force it is not Pentagon policy to fund drag shows on bases and the show should be canceled or moved off base.

Drag shows and events on military bases have become a politically contentious issue in recent months, with conservative politicians and pundits arguing the military should not be spending taxpayer money on them. . . .

 . . . “Consistent with Secretary Austin’s congressional testimony, the Air Force will not host drag events at its installations or facilities. Commanders have been directed to either cancel or relocate these events to an off-base location,” an Air Force official said when asked about the Nellis event.

“Per DoD Joint Ethics Regulation (JER), certain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in non-Federal capacity to use DoD facilities and equipment. As Secretary Austin has said, the DOD will not host drag events at U.S. military installations or facilities. Hosting these types of events in federally funded facilities is not a suitable use of DOD resources,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement.

The Nellis drag show was scheduled for Thursday, but the base commander was informed in the past few days that it must either be canceled or moved off base, the officials said. . . . . (read more)

Pentagon cancels ‘family friendly’ drag show at Nevada Air Force base (New York Post, 31 MAY 23)

Defense Secretary Orders No Drag Shows on Military Bases After Political Furor (Military.com, 1 JUN 23)
A Defense Department-wide prohibition on drag shows on military bases has resulted in the cancellation of at least two events that were planned for Pride Month and previously approved by base officials, two defense officials confirmed to Military.com. Shows at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Ramstein Air Base in Germany scheduled for this month were canceled, participants and defense officials confirmed. The two officials told Military.com the cancellations were part of a direction from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that drag shows, which have become a target of the political right, not be hosted on bases. . . .

Rep Gaetz gets Pride Month ‘family friendly’ drag show at Nevada Air Force base canceled (Fox News, 31 MAY 23)

One week after Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., demanded answers from the Department of Defense about why a “child-friendly” drag show was being hosted at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the show was abruptly canceled.

“HUGE VICTORY,” Gaetz wrote on Twitter. “Drag shows should not be taking place on military installations with taxpayer dollars PERIOD!”

A drag show initially scheduled for June 1 — in celebration of Pride Month — organized by the Nellis LGBTQ+ Pride Council, was canceled, the group confirmed on Facebook.

“The Nellis LGBTQ+ Pride Council is saddened to inform you that we are no longer able to host our annual Pride Month Drag Show on Nellis AFB.” The group said it “received notification that the DoD has directed Commanders not to host Drag events on military installations.”

The cancellation came after Gaetz “demanded answers” from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, the lawmaker highlighted on Twitter.

On May 23, Gaetz wrote a letter to Milley and Austin “demanding immediate answers on why these drag shows are still occurring” despite their testimony in March that the Defense Department did not support or endorse such shows, he said.

. . . . In the letter, Gaetz reminded Austin and Milley of their testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on March 29, where they expressed their disapproval of such performances.

“On March 29, 2023, during the House Armed Services Committee hearing on the ‘FY24 Defense Budget Request,’ I questioned you about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the Department of Defense (DoD). I find it completely unacceptable that DoD is using taxpayer dollars to fund DEI programs that are divisive in nature. DoD resources should be used for mission-essential operations, not diverted toward initiatives that create cultural fissures within our service ranks,” Gaetz wrote in the letter dated May 23. . . . (read more)

Jim Banks Asks Pentagon to Ban All Drag Queen Shows on Military Bases (Breitbart, 1 JUN 23)

House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) and other lawmakers are demanding the Pentagon clarify its policy on drag queen shows, to include issuing guidance to prohibit them on all military installations, Breitbart News has learned.. . . .

. . . Banks, along with Gaetz and Rep. Mark Alford (R-TX), wrote Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday asking him for clarification on what happened and to issue formal guidance prohibiting drag shows on any Department Of Defense (DOD) installation or any location using DOD funds.

They wrote:

We write to you today in response to the May 31 NBC News report on the decision by Department of Defense (DOD) leadership to intervene in and cancel a previously scheduled drag show at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB).

As members of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Military Personnel, we are deeply concerned that the DOD’s focus on woke programs weakens and distracts our nation’s Armed Forces.

From appointing a drag queen as a ‘digital ambassador’ to mandating ‘pronoun’ training for service-members, the Department of Defense has sacrificed precious man hours and resources that should be dedicated to improving readiness and lethality – not advancing a divisive, far-left agenda.

While we commend your reported decision to cancel the drag show at Nellis AFB and wholeheartedly agree that ‘hosting these types of events in federally funded facilities is not a suitable use of DOD resources,’ we request answers to the following questions by no later than June 15, 2023:

1. Has the drag show at Nellis AFB officially been cancelled?

2. Has the Department of Defense prohibited Nellis AFB from holding this drag show off-base using DOD funds?

3. Does the Department of Defense consider it a suitable use of DOD resources to hold drag shows in locations other than in federally funded facilities?

4. Will the Department of Defense commit to issuing guidance that drag shows are prohibited on any Department of Defense installations?

5. Will the Department of Defense commit to issuing guidance that no Department of Defense funds shall be used to hold or promote drag shows in any other locations?

6. At what level of the chain of command did the Nellis AFB drag show get approved? Has the DOD delegated approval authority for drag shows to all base Commanding Officers?

7. How has the Department of Defense allowed drag shows on military bases – events that, according to your own testimony and statements from your press spokesperson, conflict with DOD policy – to be scheduled on at least six other occasions?

nellis

Nellis AFB to hold drag show for all ages at base officers club

by Military

LTC Matthew Lohmeier, USAFA ’06, former Air Force and Space Force officer and author of the best-selling, Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military , called attention on Twitter to a drag show to be held at Nellis Air Force Base in June:

CRY FOR HELP: Our military families need and are asking for our help!

The @SecDef Lloyd Austin recently testified that “the DoD doesn’t support Drag shows on military bases.” But that’s not true.

For the third year in a row, Nellis AFB is hosting a drag show; it’s one of many bases now overtly sexualizing the workplace and complicit in introducing sexual predators to children.

Troops are reaching out asking for help to put an end to the madness.

The next show at Nellis is June 1st on base in the Officer’s Club (flyers below ) Notice there is “No minimum age requirement.”

If you’re stationed at Nellis AFB (military, contractor, or civilian), or any base where this is happening, let base leadership know this is unacceptable and offensive to you and your family, submit IG complaints now, investigate lawsuits, call your congressmen, and talk openly with the press.

One memo from the secretary of defense can end this for all US military bases. If he won’t (and he should but likely won’t), then our service chiefs can and should end it. Base leadership can end it.

Who has courage anymore among US military leaders? Step up and do what is right.

He later added:

Let me help the short-sighted “no-one-is-forcing-you-to-go-to-the-military-drag-show” crowd.

–The US military is an all-volunteer force; our recruitment efforts are spiraling down the drain at the moment, and this constant barrage of woke messaging is putting the nails in the coffin.

— Decent Americans don’t support and shouldn’t tolerate this garbage. Many men and women in uniform don’t support and won’t tolerate this; when DoD not only tolerates but celebrates it, good men and women leave the military.

— Optics matter a great deal on the global stage. Senior military leaders should know this. Perceptions and misperceptions about US military strength shape how countries act and react to one another. Do you think it’s coincidence that around the same time our military put our weak recruiting videos and ads, our adversaries put out strong recruitment ads? These kinds of things are woven into the fabric of states’ decision making. Our adversaries no longer respect our strength, and our Allies don’t take us seriously.

— These drag events and this entire perverse political and social agenda is a waste of taxpayer dollars (and you’re fooling yourself if you think that’s not part of the DoD budget).

Ignorance and liberty are not now and never have been compatible. Some of us are actually trying to solve problems. It’s an uphill battle when senior military leaders only act responsibly when forced by congress or fear of embarrassment to do so.

Ninety years ago, Douglas MacArthur said this about the proper way to produce morale for the military:

“The unfailing formula for production of morale is patriotism, self-respect, discipline, and self-confidence within a military unit, joined with fair treatment and merited appreciation from without. . . . It will quickly wither and die if soldiers come to believe themselves the victims of indifference or injustice on the part of their government, or of ignorance, personal ambition, or ineptitude on the part of their military leaders.”

This is still true today.

misgendering

PRC Military Discovers How to Defeat US Military

by Military

In this official training video for the People’s Liberation Army, Chinese soldiers are taught how to cripple U.S. soldiers by just shouting the wrong pronouns at them.

This Babylon Bee video is only a month old but already has over 1 millions views on YouTube.

Gender/pronoun training in the military (STARRS)

On a serious note, in Matthew Lohmeier’s (USAFA 2006, USAF/Space Force LTC) best-selling book, Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military, he talks about when he was an Air Force Academy cadet, he was part of a small group of cadets selected to travel to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force Academy in Chang Chun, China. He spoke Mandarin and shared a room with two other Chinese cadets.

One of the things he asked them were their beliefs, assuming they would be Buddhist or Taoist.

“We believe in Marxism, ” they said and assured Matt that all PLAAF servicemembers believed in Marxism.

Read Matt’s book to learn about how Marxist ideology has subtly crept into the US military to the great detriment of our nation.

 

About the book: 4.8 out of 5 stars, 2,513 reviews

Irresistible Revolution is a timely and bold contribution from an active-duty Space Force lieutenant colonel who sees the impact of a neo-Marxist agenda at the ground level within our armed forces. In it, author Matthew Lohmeier provides answers to many important questions that Americans are currently asking:

  • Is systemic racism a reality, or is much of our talk about race merely a rhetorical tool used to divide Americans?
  • Why has the Defense Department suddenly shifted to a focus on extremism within the ranks?
  • Is there really a white supremacy or white nationalist problem within our armed forces?
  • Are the many Diversity and Inclusion trainings that are being conducted in our federal agencies helping solve these problems, or are they creating conflict where none previously existed?
  • What is Marxism, and what does it have to do with all of this?

Though pundits often appear perplexed by current policy decisions being made in our country, our apparent missteps are part of a longstanding plot against America, patiently and methodically pursued by those with a mind intent on the overthrow of the US Government and its replacement with a communist dictatorship.

Unfortunately, many of those now furthering that agenda do so unwittingly.

After becoming aware of the Marxist conquest of American society, you will never again look at things in the same way.

Mainstream media, social media, the public education system (including universities), as well as federal agencies have all become vessels of various schools of thought that are rooted in Marxist ideology – an ideology bent on the destruction of America’s history, of Western tradition, specifically Judeo-Christian values, and of patriotism and conservatism.

Marxism’s sinister and dark agenda has led the country into what some have called a cold civil war.

The problem has become systemic, a tragedy considering that the defeat of Marxist-communist ideology was the very cause against which our nation spent great treasures of blood and iron during much of the twentieth century.

The book’s three-part framework:

–Begins with a discussion of the greatness of the American ideal (including the importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the notions of individual and civil liberties),

–Transitions to an examination of the history and overarching narrative of Marxist ideology (specifically Marx’s and Engels’ Communist Manifesto wherein the oppressor vs. oppressed narrative is developed), and

–Concludes by looking into the ongoing transformation of America’s military culture and military policy, while also providing a warning about where the country is headed if we choose to not make an immediate course correction.

Irresistible Revolution also covers a breadth of hot topics everyone is hearing and talking about – topics that actually have implications for our national security:

  • woke ideology,
  • cancel culture,
  • identity politics,
  • the Black Lives Matter movement,
  • anti-racism,
  • postmodernism,
  • political correctness, and
  • critical and cynical theories, to include critical race theory.

Lohmeier’s penetrating and common sense look at current events within our military and across American society is a sublimely unique contribution that is certain to be shared, referenced, and discussed for years to come.

Every American, including every US military servicemember, needs to read and understand the Irresistible Revolution.

 

 

wck

Wicker asks Dept of Defense to explain firing of Space Force Commander

by Military

(Press Release from Sen. Wicker) U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., this week sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Gen. Lloyd Austin voicing his dissatisfaction with the Department of Defense’s decision to relieve a U.S. Space Force officer, Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, from command for “partisan” comments on Marxism and critical race theory (CRT) he made on a podcast. Lohmeier was relieved before any formal investigation into his comments had been initiated.

“Lt. Col. Lohmeier, a 2006 U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and 15-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, was fired and reassigned for comments that have not yet been investigated nor determined to have been in violation of any Department of Defense directive. This is unjust and a failure of due process,” Wicker wrote. “The Department of Defense owes Lt. Col. Lohmeier and the public an explanation of why his comments are prohibited by military code.”

As Wicker cites in his letter, critical race theory is an understanding of race and society developed in the 1970s and 80s that is rooted in Marxism. CRT defines people by their race and sees society as a zero-sum struggle between the oppressed and their oppressors.

“Such a dark and fatalistic worldview offers no hope for reconciliation, harmony, equality, or even justice—things all Americans of good will wish to achieve,” Wicker wrote. “Instead, CRT makes room only for power and group struggle and would relegate our nation to perpetual grievance and internal strife. For this reason, CRT is a domestic threat that our adversaries would like to see spread within our country.”

Wicker called out the Department of Defense for its promotion of critical race theory as a part of DOD’s required diversity and inclusion training programs.

“As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am committed to stopping this cancerous ideology from corrupting the world’s greatest fighting force. I urge you to recognize the harm and division being sown in our Armed Forces and to commit to uprooting un-American CRT activism from our United States military,” Wicker concluded.

See the full text of the letter here or below:

Dear Secretary Austin:

I write to voice my concern and dissatisfaction with the Department of Defense’s decision to relieve a U.S. Space Force officer, Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier, from command for his comments on a podcast regarding Marxism and critical race theory (CRT).  According to a Space Force spokesman, the Commander, Space Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, “initiated a command directed investigation on whether these comments constitute prohibited partisan political activity.”

Lt. Col. Lohmeier, a 2006 U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and 15-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, was fired and reassigned for comments that have not yet been investigated nor determined to have been in violation of any Department of Defense directive.  This is unjust and a failure of due process.  The Department of Defense owes Lt. Col. Lohmeier and the public an explanation of why his comments are prohibited by military code.

The Department of Defense rule relevant to the case of Lt. Col. Lohmeier is DOD Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces.  This rule states that a member of the Armed Forces on active duty shall not “participate in any radio, television, or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate, or cause.”  It is clear that Lt. Col. Lohmeier appeared on a podcast, which in itself is not prohibited by DOD Directive 1344.10.

Moreover, he did not say anything partisan while on the podcast.  In fact, Lt. Col. Lohmeier explained in an emailed statement, “My intent never has been to engage in partisan politics. I have written a book about a particular political ideology (Marxism) in the hope that our Defense Department might return to being politically non-partisan in the future as it has honorably done throughout history.”

If the Department of Defense finds that Lt. Col. Lohmeier’s statements on CRT qualify as a “partisan cause,” it would then follow that the Department recognizes CRT itself as reflecting one side in a partisan debate.  Yet if CRT is partisan, it must be asked why this ideology is increasingly being pushed on U.S. service members.

It has become increasingly clear that the Department is actively pushing CRT through “diversity and inclusion” trainings,[1] recommended reading materials,[2] and cadet instruction.[3]  The Department therefore cannot call Lt. Col. Lohmeier’s statements on CRT “partisan” without being implicated in the same partisan advocacy.

Americans are increasingly realizing the ugly nature of critical race theory, which is sweeping through much of U.S. higher education, government, the media, and business.  This relatively new ideology is worlds apart from the prophetic and deeply American claims of the Civil Rights Movement.

CRT is a branch of critical theory developed in the 1970s and 80s with deep and explicit roots in Marxism.  Marxism as espoused by Karl Marx identified the “oppressed” as an exclusively economic class, but leading Marxists in the 20th century adapted this concept to include a wide range of “intersectional” oppressed identities in areas such as gender, sexual orientation, and race.

Although this new form of Marxism may look different from Soviet-era communism, its binary view of the world remains the same.  It still defines people fundamentally as either oppressed or oppressors, thus rejecting the founding premise of this country that all men are created equal.

Today, CRT proponents are pushing their message in mainstream quarters, teaching that non-whites are defined by their oppression and that whiteness is fundamentally bound up with being an oppressor.  These contemporary Marxists treat white “privilege” as the true original sin that requires perpetual penance in the form of “self-divestment.”

This results in an imbalanced system that rewards layered identities of “oppression” while disfavoring those unfortunate enough to have been born an “oppressor.”  Such a dark and fatalistic worldview offers no hope for reconciliation, harmony, equality, or even justice—things all Americans of good will wish to achieve.

Instead, CRT makes room only for power and group struggle and would relegate our nation to perpetual grievance and internal strife.  For this reason, CRT is a domestic threat that our adversaries would like to see spread within our country.

CRT is now bearing bitter fruit in our society and sowing seeds of resentment when we ought to be strengthening the civic bonds that bind us together.  It is spreading through American HR departments, classrooms, federal agencies, and regrettably, the United States military.

The “diversity and inclusion” trainings that Lt. Col. Lohmeier has spoken about are ground zero for the proliferation of CRT in our Armed Forces.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am committed to stopping this cancerous ideology from corrupting the world’s greatest fighting force.

I urge you to recognize the harm and division being sown in our Armed Forces and to commit to uprooting un-American CRT activism from our United States military.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.

Sincerely,

Roger F. Wicker

___

[1] Stephen Losey, “The Military Is Resuming the Diversity Training That Trump Banned,” Military.com, March 8, 2021, https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/03/08/military-resuming-diversity-training-trump-banned.html.

[2] Audrey Conklin, “House Republicans protest more books on Navy reading list,” Fox News, March 12, 2021, https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-books-navy-reading-list.

[3] Jerry Dunleavy, “GOP Army vet congressman seeks answers about ‘critical race theory’ at West Point,” Washington Examiner, April 10, 2021, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/gop-army-vet-congressman-seeks-answers-critical-race-theory-west-point.