Letter to Secretary of Defense raises concerns with military branches’ politically slanted training materials
WASHINGTON– U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressing their concerns with recent trainings conducted by branches of the U.S. military that were politically slanted and inappropriate for the non-partisan institution. In the letter, the Senators note that while Sec. Austin’s directive to identify and remove extremism from the military is appropriate, the implementation of the trainings fell well short of the military’s standards:
“Your directive to purge the department of extremism follows in the long tradition of the United States military protecting the rights and liberties of all Americans. … Yet your tempered, thoughtful approach lost its way in translation to the services. An examination of the stand-down training materials reveals a disappointing partisan slant and poorly-defined First Amendment rights for military members.”
The Senators point out the partisan slant of the materials and members of the military’s use of official Department of Defense platforms to target members of the media with whom they disagree:
“[S]ome of the training materials imply only certain political thoughts are welcome. For example, the Navy’s training deck includes as an example of ‘permissible political activity’ membership in the Young Democrats of America. No examples of groups affiliated with other political parties are included. Additionally, a scenario on religious beliefs pertaining to marriage, abortion, and LGBTQ matters states that conservative views on these issues are not considered ‘mainstream.’” …
“Since your announcement of a stand down, multiple senior military leaders have publicly criticized individual members of the press using official DOD platforms and social media. … From official social media accounts, in uniform, on defense.gov, and even from the Pentagon podium, the DOD loudly and with one voice took up a partisan viewpoint and went so far as to equate a U.S. citizen with China’s People Liberation Army.
“We cannot allow our military to be politicized.”
The Senators conclude with a request for Sec. Austin to provide a report on steps his office has taken to reprimand those who engaged in inappropriate partisan behavior and for the Secretary to personally review the training materials used by the services.
Read the full text of the letter here and below.
April 5, 2021
The Honorable Lloyd Austin
U.S. Secretary of Defense
Dear Secretary Austin,
Your directive to purge the department of extremism follows in the long tradition of the United States military protecting the rights and liberties of all Americans. Like you, we want to see good order and discipline in the ranks as well as for our military to remain the non-partisan institution that Americans trust more than any other.
Yet your tempered, thoughtful approach lost its way in translation to the services. An examination of the stand-down training materials reveals a disappointing partisan slant and poorly-defined First Amendment rights for military members.
Inherent among the advantages of our nation’s diverse population is diversity of thought. Yet some of the training materials imply only certain political thoughts are welcome. For example, the Navy’s training deck includes as an example of “permissible political activity” membership in the Young Democrats of America. No examples of groups affiliated with other political parties are included. Additionally, a scenario on religious beliefs pertaining to marriage, abortion, and LGBTQ matters states that conservative views on these issues are not considered “mainstream.” Finally, the Navy’s slides suggest that workplace discussions of Black Lives Matter are not “politically partisan in nature.”
The training cautioned members of the military from espousing “purely personal opinions,” yet was clearly biased in and of itself. Since your announcement of a stand down, multiple senior military leaders have publicly criticized individual members of the press using official DOD platforms and social media. We hope you agree how inappropriate and ill-advised it is to use the National Guard to march on an elected representative’s office. From official social media accounts, in uniform, on defense.gov, and even from the Pentagon podium, the DOD loudly and with one voice took up a partisan viewpoint and went so far as to equate a U.S. citizen with China’s People Liberation Army.
We cannot allow our military to be politicized.
By April 30th, please provide a report on what steps your office has taken to reprimand those officers, enlisted, and other DOD personnel who have inappropriately engaged in partisan behavior while representing our military within the last year. Include what steps your office will take to ensure such behavior ceases under your watch. In your response, we ask that you personally review the stand-down training material disseminated by the services and other subordinate headquarters in order to ensure that these materials comply with the guidance issued by your office.
Sincerely,
Tommy Tuberville
U.S. Senator, Alabama
Roger Wicker
U.S. Senator, Mississippi
Kevin Cramer
U.S. Senator, North Dakota
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
