Milley swats down ‘woke’ military criticism

[Boats]

Milley swats down ‘woke’ military criticism
By: Connor O'Brien - Politico Morning Defense - 06-24-21
Re: https://www.politico.com/newsletters...iticism-796112

QUICK FIX:

— The nation’s top general fires back against criticism of the Pentagon’s efforts to combat racism and extremism.

— Lawmakers are eager for answers from a first-ever public government report on UFO activity expected out soon.

— Warning signs flash in the intelligence community over the stability of the Afghan government following the U.S. withdrawal.

HAPPY THURSDAY AND WELCOME TO MORNING DEFENSE. We're always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Email us at cobrien@politico.com and follow on Twitter @connorobriennh, @morningdefense and @politicopro.

PENTAGON:

MILLEY STRIKES BACK: Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley is pushing back against Republican criticism that Pentagon efforts to combat racism and promote diversity have made the armed forces too "woke."

The nation's top military officer said during a House Armed Services hearing Wednesday that he's offended at the accusation that those efforts have undercut the military's mission and cohesiveness. Milley, who was testifying alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, was responding to Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Michael Waltz, who argued the Pentagon had embraced critical race theory, such as its inclusion in some courses at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

"I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military ... of being 'woke' or something else because we're studying some theories that are out there," Milley said.

Milley's fiery comments are some of the most pointed in defense of the military, which has come under heavy criticism from Republican lawmakers and right-wing personalities for what they argue is effectively political bias against conservatives.

"I want to understand white rage — and I'm white," Milley told lawmakers. "What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America?“

"I've read Mao Tse Tung. I've read Karl Marx. I've read Lenin. That doesn't make me a communist," Milley continued. "So what is wrong with understanding, having some situational understanding, about the country for which we are here to defend?"

‘Thanks for your anecdotal input’: Austin and Gaetz tangled over the Pentagon chief's order for a military-wide stand-down to address extremism. The conservative Republican claims opposition to the effort is "the No. 1 issue" raised in his conversations with troops.

"Thanks for your anecdotal input," Austin shot back. "But I would say that I have gotten 10 times that amount of input, 50 times that amount of input, on the other side that has said, 'Hey, we're glad to have had the ability to have a conversation with ourselves and with our leadership.'"

Gaetz suggested that Austin's inner circle may be telling the Pentagon chief what he wants to hear rather than giving an honest assessment of military morale. Gaetz also accused Austin's senior adviser on diversity issues, Bishop Garrison, of being a "critical race theorist" and cited past tweets. The defense secretary responded that Gaetz's questioning was the first time he'd heard Garrison described as a subscriber to critical race theory.

More Milley: For military’s top man, navigating the Trump-Biden transition is his biggest test yet, via The Washington Post.

EVACUATING AFGHANS:

Milley also told the panel that the U.S. has the capability to pull interpreters and other Afghans out of that country who cooperated with American forces if ordered to do so.

"We have the military capability to do whatever is directed by the president of the United States with respect to our allies and those that have worked with us," Milley told Rep. Seth Moulton. "And I consider it a moral imperative to take care of those that have served [by] our side. We are prepared to execute whatever we are directed."

The Biden administration has faced bipartisan backlash for not stepping up efforts to protect Afghan allies who will likely be targeted by the Taliban once U.S. forces fully withdraw from the country. They've complained the State Department's process to approve special immigrant visas for Afghans to come to the U.S. is too slow to avert such a crisis.

Austin noted the process is led by the State Department, but added that the Pentagon is "ready to provide resources to accelerate" the effort. Austin added that he's "confident we'll begin to evacuate some of those people" in the pipeline.

Related: Pentagon chiefs insist flat defense budget is enough, via Defense News.

ON THE HILL:

‘WE DON’T KNOW WHO IT IS’: Lawmakers used to laugh when asked about UFOs. Now Congress has real questions — and they’re eager for the rare answers they’ll get as soon as this week, our colleague Andrew Desiderio writes for Pros.

After decades of relegation to laughingstock status, what are now officially known as unidentified aerial phenomena are finally getting serious consideration from Congress. Outlandish fears of an impending extraterrestrial takeover have been replaced by legitimate concerns about a national security threat that has eluded U.S. intelligence agencies.

The federal government is preparing to release its first-ever public report on unexplained sightings as soon as Friday.

There is no evidence to date that points to a sci-fi scenario of aliens from another galaxy visiting Earth. But the recent uptick in mysterious airborne objects — spotted mostly by naval pilots over U.S. military installations, as well as at sea — has lawmakers worried that a foreign adversary like Russia or China has developed technology that Western governments can’t identify.

“There’s stuff flying in our airspace and we don’t know who it is and it’s not ours. So we should know who it is, especially if it’s an adversary that’s made a technological leap,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“We don’t know,” Rubio added. “But how can we have stuff flying over restricted military airspace and not even be curious — not to mention concerned — about who it is and why they’re here?”

WELCOME TO APPROPRIATIONS SEASON:

The House Appropriations Committee this week formally began its sprint to pass a dozen government funding bills before August, releasing the text of its first two bills on Wednesday.

This morning, we’ll get a look at House appropriators' first bite, albeit a small one, at the defense budget when the committee releases its fiscal 2022 bill funding military construction programs. The broader defense spending bill is expected to be out early next week.

Mark it: The House Military Construction-VA Appropriations panel marks up its spending bill Friday at 9 a.m.

NOT WHETHER, BUT HOW: House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith is pledging to consider legislation that would substantially overhaul how the military handles sexual assault cases, saying that "the question before us is not whether to update the [Uniform Code of Military Justice], but how to update the UCMJ."

His comments come after Austin endorsed removing the military chain of command from decisions to prosecute sex crimes. On Wednesday, Democrat Jackie Speier, Republican Mike Turner and other lawmakers rolled out legislation in the House that would more broadly remove commanders' authority to prosecute all serious crimes, mirroring a bill introduced in the Senate by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.

Smith acknowledged both approaches, though he hasn't yet endorsed removing the chain of command for all major crimes. The Washington state Democrat recently threw his backing behind handing the prosecution of sexual assault cases to military lawyers.

"There will be much debate about this differentiation, and I welcome that debate so that we can identify the best possible policy solution for our service members, but the bottom line remains the same: Significant action is required and the time to act is now," he said.

"I intend to give this issue the attention it deserves — that means marking up pertinent legislation like the Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act," he said of the legislation introduced by Speier, Turner and others. "This issue is far too important to risk failure, which is why I will aggressively pursue every legislative option available."

HAPPENING TODAY:

Defense budget hearings continue today on both sides of the Capitol. Here are the highlights:

— Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and acting National Nuclear Security Administration head Charles Verdon appear at a Senate Armed Services hearing on nuclear defense programs at 9:30 a.m.

— Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Harker, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger testify on the budget at the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee at 10 a.m.

— Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord testifies on the defense budget at a House Budget Committee hearing at 10:30 a.m.

WAR REPORT:

INTEL AGENCIES WARN OF COLLAPSE: U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last week that the Afghan government could collapse as quickly as six months after the completion of the military pullout, The Wall Street Journal reports.

"American intelligence agencies revised their previously more optimistic estimates as the Taliban swept through northern Afghanistan last week, seizing dozens of districts and surrounding major cities. Afghan security forces frequently surrendered without a fight, leaving their Humvees and other American-supplied equipment to the insurgents.

"The new assessment of the overall U.S. intelligence community, which hasn’t been previously reported, has now aligned more closely with the analysis that had been generated by the U.S. military."

Related: Afghan hospital burns after attack; Taliban seize border post in north, via Reuters.

MAKING MOVES:

President Joe Biden has nominated Cindy McCain, the wife of the late Senate Armed Services Committee Chair John McCain, as U.S. representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

SPEED READ:

— National Guard chief says Capitol quick-reaction force better suited for law-enforcement agencies: Stars and Stripes

— Russia says warning shots deter UK warship; London denies it: The Associated Press

— Northrop CEO: To beat China, US must step up investments in advanced computing: C4ISRNet

— Bipartisan group of 21 lawmakers push Biden to ban most landmines: The Hill

— Rick Scott blocks attempt to confirm Jen Easterly as CISA director: POLITICO Pro

— Coast Guard commandant skirts accountability questions from lawmakers as reports of sexual assault in the service climb: Stars and Stripes