The Anti-“Extremism” of Our New Military

There is no American institution that has not been infected with political correctness, wokeism, and forced diversity. Once considered a stalwart of apolitical patriotism and the last bastion of meritocracy, the United States military stands precariously on the precipice of becoming yet another politically compromised arm of the big government apparatus.

Not so long ago, military service was characterized by unity in purpose, self-sacrifice, and colorblindness that saw every servicemember as part of a greater whole. Serving was considered a higher calling, where a citizen voluntarily set aside their personal needs and desires in the service of a cause bigger than themselves. Drill sergeants famously reminded troops that “there’s no color here except green.” Nebulous “diversity” was rightly seen as a weakness as a fighting force unified in both strength and purpose was rightly seen as essential to mission success. Now we have top military leaders who believe that combat effectiveness should take a back seat to a force that “looks like the county it serves.”

There has always been political influence within the Pentagon, as top generals had to have both legitimate military credentials and be able to rub shoulders with civilian politicians and defense contractors. No current figure better personifies this than the current Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who went from his position as vice chief of staff of the Army to the board of Raytheon (among other massive corporations), who paid him $1.6 million dollars since his retirement from the Army in 2016.

Following the protests and vandalism on January 6th, Austin and the rest of the military political class joined the chorus of elites in government linking the event to the nebulous problem of “extremism,” and responded by ordering a 60-day stand down by all active military commands to address so-called “extremism” in the ranks. During Austin’s confirmation hearings, he vowed to “rid our ranks of racists and extremists,” but failed to describe exactly what this meant or how it would be done.

This is at the root of the problem. Without a clear definition of “extremism,” the definition (and the legal consequences that follow) is subject to prevailing political winds. For example, showing racial preference or espousing racist views is rightly considered unacceptable among military service members, but holding dissenting political views (preferring small government and secure borders, for instance) should rightly be considered acceptable. Instead, conventional political views are being unquestioningly grouped under the new, subjective definitions of extremism or white supremacy to marginalize conservatives serving in the military.

For example, the Navy’s “Extremism in the Navy Ranks” training rightly lists “racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists” – including white supremacists – but fails to mention Black Lives Matter except to note that it is acceptable for military superiors to discuss BLM issues with their peers and subordinates because it’s not “politically partisan in nature.” Nevermind the fact that BLM is openly Marxist, committed to the destruction of the nuclear family, routs 100% of political donations to the Democrat party, and has spearheaded race intimidation protests and riots that have led to the killing of law enforcement officers, countless injuries, and billions of dollars of property damage. Apparently, all it takes to fool military brass into accepting your anti-American terrorist organization is calling yourself something innocuous like Black Lives Matter.

Here is a short list of beliefs (including several that would be considered anti-diversity) that are bound to make service members targets of the new anti-extremists:

• The 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump through massive vote fraud.

• COVID-19 lockdowns, mask mandates, and restrictions on free association are flatly unconstitutional.

• Whether or not a person receives a vaccine should be their choice.

• Men and women are naturally different in ways that make it impossible to treat them as equals in terms of combat effectiveness.

• The military should employ the most capable and lethal people it can, regardless of their skin color or gender.

• The military has the right and the obligation to reject applicants and service members whose ideology conflicts with the ideological, moral, and economic framework of the United States.

Espouse any of these views while serving, and a service member should rightly fear retribution and punishment under the newly-defined label of “extremist.” The warrior culture of the military has been under attack for decades, and just like with the successful leftist attacks on the police, we can expect the results to be an exodus of real patriot warriors from the ranks of the military and a significantly less safe country.