U.S. Military Ordered to Undergo 60-Day Stand-Down to Weed Out Rightwing “Extremists”
By Military Times. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has called on the services to conduct a 60-day stand-down on the issue of extremism in the military, prompted by the Jan. 6 attack on the the Capitol and subsequent reports of both active-duty and former service members attending a rally calling to overturn the 2020 election and the riot that ensued. . .
“Even though the numbers might be small, they may not be as small as we would like them to be, or we believe them to be,“ [Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby] said of the prevalence of troops with extremists views, ties or activities. “And that no matter what it is, it is not an insignificant problem.”
“It wasn’t a blithe, ‘Hey, just go talk to your people,’” Kirby said of Austin’s direction to the service secretaries and Joint Chiefs. “He was very clear that he wants commands to take the necessary time. And I didn’t hear him be overly proscriptive about that … to speak with troops about the scope of this problem, and certainly to get a sense from them about what they’re seeing at their level” . . .
Military Times’ own polling has shown that, anecdotally, more than one-third of active-duty troops, and more than half of minority service members, have witnessed signs of white supremacy in their colleagues. Further, survey respondents ranked white nationalism as a bigger national security threat domestic terror groups affiliated with Islam, for instance.
“The events of Jan. 6 served as a wake-up call for this department,” Kirby said. (Read more from “U.S. Military Ordered to Undergo 60-Day Stand-Down to Weed Out Rightwing “Extremists” HERE)
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U.S. Leaders Urge Military to Get Vaccine Shots
By Associated Press. With more than half of America reluctant or flatly opposed to getting a COVID-19 vaccine, a VIP-filled video call on Thursday targeted the nation’s military families with an urgent plea: Get the shot.
“We need your help,” first lady Jill Biden told hundreds of listeners on a call set up by Blue Star Families. ”That’s why we’re encouraging everyone to mask up, socially distance and get the vaccine when it’s your turn.”
The call featured detailed medical explanations from Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, who answered questions from the audience, as well as urgings from Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his wife, Hollyanne, who is a nurse. Their pleas underscored the widespread concern about the reluctance among service members and their families to get the vaccine. (Read more from “U.S. Leaders Urge Military to Get Vaccine Shots” HERE)
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DOD Issues Order Requiring Face Masks on All Military Installations
By Fox 13 Tampa Bay. The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Thursday that all individuals on military installations as well as all individuals performing official duties on behalf of the DOD must wear face masks.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin signed the memo Thursday ordering DOD personnel to wear facial coverings in accordance with the most current U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guidelines. (Read more from “DOD Issues Order Requiring Face Masks on All Military Installations” HERE)
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