New SecDef Austin Takes the Helm

| February 4, 2021

The new Secretary of Defense wants to address the issue of extremism in the military.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/defense-secretary-will-order-military-wide-stand-down-to-address-extremism-1.660899

From the article:  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told top Pentagon leaders Wednesday that he will direct a military-wide stand down to address extremism within the ranks, according to his top spokesman.

Austin wants all military units to take an operational pause to discuss extremism as he works to grasp the full scope of the issue and better address the longstanding problem, John Kirby, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, told reporters Wednesday. The pauses are expected to occur within the next 60 days, but Austin has yet to determine how the stand downs are to be completed, Kirby said.

“The intent is to reinforce the [Pentagon’s] policies and values with respect to this sort of behavior and to have a dialogue with the men and women of the force and to get their views on what they are seeing at their level,” Kirby said. “He wants commands to take the necessary time to … speak with troops about the scope of this problem. It’s a two-way conversation.”

Austin spoke frankly with the acting service secretaries and uniformed service chiefs about his concerns about extremism in the military, including white supremacism, said Kirby, who attended the meeting. The new defense secretary, who is the first Black leader of the Defense Department, wants the service leaders to better grasp how pervasive the issue is within their formations and work with leaders to stamp it out, Kirby said. – article

I do not know why he thinks this is something new. It was common when I was in the Navy, back in the Stone Age when ships were moved across the bounding main by wind and sail and sailors climbed the rigging to unfurl the topsails. If you read the entire article, he’s leaning on the white supremacist thing, as if that is the only issue involved, because he ran into a bunch of ne0-Nazis at Fort Bragg some time back. So that makes all paleskinned military white supremacists and neo-Nazis and therefore suspect….

I’m simply posting this to make people aware that running a disciplined, well-trained military and a tight ship seems to be less important to this new SecDef than identity politics. Perhaps that will change as time goes by.

Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", 2020 Election, Military issues

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ninja

Another “Extremism”..

This time, during the National Prayer Breakfast..

And in the meantime, SILENCE on Antifa..Oh, I forgot…Biden said Antifa is an idea, not an organization..

“Biden Addresses National Prayer Breakfast, Says ‘We Need To Defeat Political Extremism’

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-addresses-national-prayer-breakfast

“President Biden addressed the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, saying the country needs to “defeat political extremism” and rely on “faith to guide us out of the darkness and into the light” amid the coronavirus pandemic.”

“We musty defeat political extremism, white supremacy and domestic terrorism,” Biden said. “For so many in our nation, this is a dark, dark time.”

“He added: “So where do we turn? Faith.”

“Faith shows the way forward as one nation in a common purpose,” Biden said. “These aren’t Democrats and Republicans going hungry—they’re our fellow Americans, fellow human beings; these aren’t Democrats or Republicans going without healthcare—they are our fellow Americans, fellow human beings; there aren’t Democrats and Republicans being evicted from their homes—they are our fellow Americans, fellow human beings; these aren’t Democrats or Republicans losing their lives to this deadly virus—they are our fellow Americans, fellow human beings.”

“He added: “This is not a nation that can, or will, simply stand by and watch this. It is not who we are.”

Anonymous

Hey, it’s “mostly peaceful protest” (even with lots of arson and looting) when #BLM/Antifa do it for months on end or something…

Anonymous

And Robocop said it best:

Teresa

Another day, another Maoist purge. Got to remind the majority of Trump supporting Patriots in the military they’d better not support the Constitution like they’re supposed to…..

Green Thumb

I wonder if this will include the military Masons…..?

Pretty select and less-than-inclusive organization if I ever saw one.

SFC D

Shhhhh they’re supposed to be secret. We’re not supposed to notice sometimes they’re the shadow chain of command.

Green Thumb

But they wear the ring in uniform!

And the head Mason on base never calls them out!

TDG

Not a lot of white supremacists among the military Masons. 😉

Sapper3307

Tru dat

David

Best comment on the Masons ever, from a TV expose: “They keep saying we are trying to take over the world. We can’t agree on ham and cheese or tuna sandwiches after lodge meetings.”

Mason

Hey now, why you gotta bring me into this? 😉

QMC

Oppose males showering with girls?

EXTREMIST

Question irregularities in the election?

EXTREMIST

Think ideas of the Administration creating a “Reality Czar” to define all truths to the public is a dangerous and scary idea?

EXTREMIST

2=2=5 – 1984

A Proud Infidel®™️

Dissent with the D-rat agenda? Racist, extremist, insurrectionist…

Anonymous

Da, comrade, everything Leftist is correct and legitimate by definition– anything else is wrong and degenerate!

Sparks

Death by Powerpoint coming to a unit near you.

Dennis - not chevy

I am reminded of the time (30+ years ago) my Squadron Commander asked the Social Actions staff to survey the climate of the squadron. No incident occurred; he just wanted to know what was going on so he could solve any problem before things got out of hand. They surveyed and found the only problem was in the squadron was in the orderly room. The Commander went from being a hero to looking like a fool.

AW1 Rod

Austin and Milley should be sure to look both ways before they go fuck themselves.

President Elect Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH B Woodman Domestic Violent Extremist

Defeat political extremism………….
Does that mean the DildoCrats and RINO Re-pube-liTards will commit suicide so that conservatives can step into their place? DildoCrats (and Fellow Travelers) are the only political extremists that I’ve seen.

AZRobert

On the new uniforms, does the Red Star go on the Flag or above it, asking for a friend!

rgr769

I like that new chapeau. I assume they will be made in high quality in a Uighur concentration camp factory. Only a slight hue change will make them perfectly match the new OD uniform. Hopefully, it will eliminate and replace the eye patch/single ear muff beret.

Mason

New hat’s gonna look like this one. As modeled by the new WH Press Secretary.

KoB

FFS, this will only drive more and more highly qualified and trained Troops from the ranks. Not sure where they get their “perceptions” from. The only “racial bias” I ever saw during my service was a very small % of black troops that just didn’t like white troops. As I’ve mentioned before, 2 of the career Black troops that I had much respect for nipped that sh^t right in the bud. Maybe things have changed that much, been a long time since I was on active duty.

I do know this. Just in the past 2 months, I have seen over 20 people that I personally know of that have decided to either not re-enlist or have put in their early retirement papers to get away from the “Death by Power Point” sessions that is mentioned above I pity the poor recruiters in fulfilling their quotas when they can’t get any Caucasians to enlist…or stay in.

3% of the population is making it rough on the other 97%. What is wrong with this picture?

USMC steve

That is what they need. You cannot get the troops to unquestioningly kill Americans who rebel against the illegitimate president if they are not of the Hitler Youth variety that knows only of Der Fuhrer.

Patrick D Sommers

Well said, Sir.

Green Thumb

Word.

A lot of my year group are wearing leaves and birds.

They see the light at the end of the tunnel so they are sucking it up. But most ain’t staying around for the additional three to solidify the retirement in grade.

That is bad.

26Limabeans

“address the longstanding problem”

I must have missed something while I was active.

26Limabeans

On second thought I recall the Black Power movement while
in Viet of the Nam. Black soldiers displaying the Black
Power fist and in one case I recall a black soldier giving
them the bird in return. So…… was the Black Power movement
during the 70’s an example of extremism? I’m asking you Mr. Secretary.

ninja

Remember this from 2016?

“The Controversy Over a Photograph At West Point:
The U.S. Military Academy Said It Won’t Punish The Cadets Seen In The Photograph With Their Fists Raised.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2016/05/west-point-cadets-photograph/482250/

26Limabeans

Tnx. I had not considered the former linked to the later until now.
A fist can mean a lot things. I usually take it to mean “hold what you got”.

ninja
Green Thumb

Freeze.

The pucker factor increases 1000%.

rgr769

Most here didn’t experience the Black Power hoodlums in the Viet of the Nam because they didn’t serve then or there. Here’s what I saw in ’70-’71.

The so called Black Power thing was likely on display in every infantry battalion. And I imagine it was worse in support units. In the two infantry battalions I served with, each one had a barracks full of our darker hued soldiers wearing the black wrist bands. They were all awaiting court martial and/or less than honorable discharges. A large number of them with infantry MOS’s were charged with refusing to go to the field with their respective rifle companies. The reason most were “missing movement” and were insubordinate was because one couldn’t get more drugs in the bush. How do I know; because I had such men assigned to my companies and saw the court martial specifications. I had one man newly assigned to my company in the 4th ID tell me he “wasn’t staying on this m’effing firebase,” and that I couldn’t make him do so. I offered him the option of walking out through the gap in the perimeter razor wire, but he snuck onto a re-supply bird a few hours later. He was wearing one of those knotted Black Power wrist bands. The next time I was in the rear, I saw he was part of that band of “brothers” in HHC barracks for malcontents/drugees awaiting court martial and/or OTH discharge.

rgr769

I should add that many Blacks back then, as 26LB observed, were not sympathetic to the Black Power bs. I recall one of the men in one of my rifle platoons attempting to climb into the cab of a truck (we were moving to the field in trucks from An Khe base camp) where his platoon sgt. was seated. He remarked to his Black platoon sgt./leader, “I’ll ride up here with you, brother.” My SFC responded: “Get in the back where you belong, and I’m not your [effing] brother.”

OWB

Where no problem exists, create one so you can fix it. Sure, that’s a plan – just not a good plan.

What’s that old saw? To a hammer, everything looks like a nail? Just because you own a hammer doesn’t mean you should us it all the time. Your hammer may not be the best tool to use to open a window, for instance.

Anonymous

McCarthyism is only bad when Republicans do it.

26Limabeans

Susan Collins will be the next Margaret Chase Smith.
She has dreamed of the opportunity all her career.
Brett Cavanaugh was just her warm up.

Fyrfighter

Somehow I doubt that any extremism will be found, except for that involving white males…blm, muslims, etc will all be just fine…

The Other Whitey

So……..will this purge cut straight to the executions, or will they jump through some hoops first before they start filling the mass graves? Will there be show trials this time? Or will there just be rhythmic gunfire heard from remote places out in the woods and/or desert?

Sapper3307

This video is from RT (commi) but the beginning shows Fort Braggs approved gang/extremists activity at the NCO club all the while booting Hwite Devils’. This is the same time Lloyd was at Bragg. The rounds of culling’s were very color coded.
https://youtu.be/VT9uGMXwy0Y

Fyrfighter

Shhh you’re not supposed to notice / mention that!

USMC Steve

One has to look not at all to see this dude is an unqualified Senile Socialist bootlicker, and quite probably a closeted black racist. That he ain’t got what it takes to do the job properly is apparent based upon his willing association with the social democrats, and carrying out their political will rather than properly overseeing the DOD with the intent of making it a more capable combat force.

Fyrfighter

Of course he is! If he wasn’t, Harris never would have put him in that position… (you don’t think biden is making any of these decisions, do you??)

ninja

You Be The Judge.

“Navy Task Force Makes 56 Recommendations To Address Diversity And Bias”

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/navy-task-force-makes-56-recommendations-to-address-diversity-and-bias-1.660805

Here is the report:

https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/20468491-tf1n-final-cno-report/?embed=1&title=1

“A task force made 56 recommendations related to inclusion and diversity of personnel to improve the culture of the Navy, according to its report released Wednesday.”

“While there still is work to be done, I am confident that this report’s recommendations will help make our Navy better, and we will move forward together toward meaningful long-lasting change. Make no mistake, I am personally committed to this effort,” Adm. Mike Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said in a statement.”

“Task Force One Navy was created in July 2020 in reaction to the national uproar over the death of George Floyd and protests against police brutality and institutional racism. The group was asked to explore issues of racism, sexism and bias and how they affected the readiness of the Navy.”

“We have fallen short in the past by excluding or limiting opportunity for people on the basis of race, sexual orientation, sexual identity, gender or creed. Our Navy must continue to remove barriers to service, and most importantly, be a shining example of a workforce centered on respect, inclusive of all,” Gilday said in the statement.”

“Also recommended: A standing committee should be formed to modernize the process for naming ships, buildings and streets to honor national and historic naval figures. Currently, there are ships named after the Confederacy or white supremacists, such as the USS Chancellorsville and the USNS Maury.”

“The report also found a lack of diversity in the aviation and submarine career fields. Two of the recommendations involve reaching out to grade schools, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority-serving institutions to raise awareness of STEM career opportunities in fields such as submarines.”

charles w

Chancellorsville was a battle. Don’t think it was named after a Confederate. Named after a place. This stuff is getting stupid.

Anonymous

Hey, hey, they’re trying to rename it USS Stonewall Uprising… play along. /sarc

ninja

I read the report.

Nowhere was mentioned that in time of Battle, we all bleed the same color…

🤔

KoB

Spot on, ninja, Nailed It. And no mention of the Warriors of ALL levels of tanned skin supported one another on so many fields of Battle. Seems as if we know of and Mason may have done a Valor Friday post on the Caucasian Aerial Artillery Platform Driver, crashed his aircraft in Korea(?) to attempt to save his Black Comrade-in-Arms whose Aerial Artillery Platform got shot down.

And yep, better change the name of the USS Chancellorsville. Can’t have a ship named after a place where the Army of the Potomac got their azzes handed to them by 2 much smaller forces under the command of 2 of the Greatest Military Commanders the world has even seen. Thirty more minutes of daylight and that other Stonewall woulda had Hooker’s Army rolled up all the way and that war in the East woulda been over. As it is Hooker is basically remembered as a term for a female of questionable morals. Yeah, yeah I know Hooker took credit for what some of his men did at Lookout Mountain later, but it isn’t like his happy azz was leading from the front…or even commanding from the rear.

There’s another bill being introduced in the Georgia State House to remove the Carving from Stone Mountain…and to remove every other Confederate Statue in the State. Check your email!

gabn/rtr/hbtd

ninja

KoB wrote:

“There’s another bill being introduced in the Georgia State House to remove the Carving from Stone Mountain…and to remove every other Confederate Statue in the State.”

Oh, No….Not again…

“Every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered.”

gabn/hbtd/rtr

Poetrooper

“This stuff is getting stupid.”

GETTING stupid?

It’s been stupid from the start…

ninja

So….

Will BLM or Antifa or Louis Farrakhan or the Black Hebrew Israelites be addressed…

🤔

BTW, Louis Farrakhan spoke at West Point in 1972…and there were Black Power West Point Cadets in 1971-1972.

https://www.marist.edu/-/marist-news-from-black-power-cadets-at-west-point-to-the-artist-colonies-of-woodstock

ninja

A Stand Down, eh?

How about this Stand Down?

😉😎

“Army Holds Safety Stand-Down To Address Dangers Of Drinking Antifreeze: Officials are Scrambling After Soldiers At Fort Bliss Rode “The Blue Lightning”:

https://www.duffelblog.com/p/army-holds-safety-stand-down-to-address

Berliner

What a change! Back when Austin had just pinned on his silver oak leaf (late 80’s) as Bde XO he was smiling and easy to talk to and work with. Somebody needs to check what Kool-Aid he’s been drinking.

Andy11M

It’s the stuff you take a swig of, right before you walk into your confirmation hearing, and try to convince a bunch of never served congressional critters that you are the man for the job/promotion.

11B-Mailclerk

“General” flavor kool-aid

MK75Gunner

Remember when an Islamic supremacist killed a bunch of Soldiers at Ft Hood and we all had to stand down to address Islamic Extremism in the ranks? Yeah…me neither. Instead we were subjected to spineless Generals and Admirals all accusing us of Islamophobia and lecturing about how not all Muslims are terrorists because we had the temerity to point out that the scumbag perpetrator of this terrorist attack was an open terrorist sympathizer and anti-American POS.

Andy11M

I’m really glad the Army also took the time to get rid of all the soldiers I was in charge of that professed membership in the Bloods/Crips and the hispanic soldiers I was in charge of that espoused belief in La Raza and told me that Cali, Texas and all of the South West belonged to Mexico. Oh wait, they didn’t.

Doug

I’m sure a policy will be establish to ensure fairness. I’m suspecting a 3 x strikes your out policy.

1. Are you white? if yes, you are a white supremist.
2. Are you heterosexual? if yes, you do not meet our moral standards.
3. Do you believe in the constitution? if yes, you are a political terrorist. And we have proof, you swore an oath to defend the constitution.

Prior Service

31.75 years in service, here. The next (last) three are going to be hard…

Sapper3307

May the Force be with you.

Prior Service

Thanks.

Devtun

New SecDef is dismissed after he reluctantly admits there are only 4 or 5 white supremacists/Neo-Nutsies in the forces.

Ocean12

What happened to the days when the purpose of a stand down to to give everyone a break from the ops tempo and a chance to catch their breath.
It seems like now there is a freaking stand down for whatever the flavor of the day is.