This Thursday, Republican Senator Tom Cotton (Ark.) unveiled the reports of whistleblowers within the armed forces who are complaining that the training to fight “extremism” has led to their superiors pushing critical race theory (CRT) upon them. This has put some military members against each another and caused some to resign.
Cotton questioned Defense Secretary Austin on this topic, asking him to condemn the ideas of critical race theory, like the notion that the military itself is “fundamentally racist.” Austin begrudgingly refuted the idea this, but his reply shows an unwillingness to truly fight CRT.
“Mr. Secretary, we are hearing reports of lowered morale, increasing mistrust where none existed only six months ago, and unexpected retirements based on just these trainings,” Senator Cotton said, citing the reports he got from troops.
Cotton quoted and summarized from many whistleblowers, some of which were very shocking. The senator said that he and Republican Congressman Crenshaw (Texas) have got “hundreds of whistleblower complaints concerning Pentagon extremism and diversity training.”
“One Marine informed us that military history was replaced with mandatory police brutality lessons and white privilege training. He said several officers are now leaving citing that training,” the senator said.
“Another person told us that their group was forced to read the book White Fragility which says, and this is a quote, ‘white people in a Western society are conditioned into a white supremacist view,’” Cotton said.
“A member of the special-forces group informed us that they are also being trained that ‘The U.S. Special Forces is racist,’” he said. “One officer said one of his officers told him that the whole U.S. Army is racist.”
After going over these reports, Senator Cotton pushed Austin on some central CRT sayings. “Mr. Secretary, do you agree or disagree that our military is a racist organization?” he said.
“Well, I will not answer yes or no, senator, because it needs more than yes or no,” Austin said. “The military has its challenges, but I don’t believe it is fundamentally racist.”
Austin then initially refused to answer if he thinks military members should be treated differently based upon their race, then he said, “I don’t believe that.”
Senator Cotton quoted from the book How to Be an Anti-Racist. “The only solution to past discrimination is present discrimination.” he quoted. He asked Austin if he accepts that statement, and Austin said he did not accept it.
While Austin said that soldiers should report such trainings to higher authorities or give them to Senator Cotton and Congressman Crenshaw, his comments did not do anything to help the concerns that the DOD under Biden is forcing CRT and cracking down on free speech in the military.
Author: Scott Dowdy