Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the “withdrawal” of the entire US army in the next 60 days for commanders to address “extremism” in their ranks.
The news of the military break came in an announcement on Wednesday at the Pentagon, with press secretary John Kirby describing the move to reporters as similar to the withdrawals that units need to make to address security issues.
Austin issued the order after a meeting on the matter with Joint Chiefs of Staff President Mark Milley, as well as civilian leaders and service chiefs.
The group also discussed the Capitol rebellion last month, said Kirby, noting the presence of veterans and active duty members in the shocking scene. They left the meeting, still not sure how to approach the problem completely.
According to Kirby, the riot was an “alert” for the entire department.
The press secretary went on to cite Austin as a leadership issue to extremism in the ranks.
“It has to be a matter of leadership to the lowest levels, leadership of small units to him. So if you think of it as a leadership issue, there may be some potential solutions to allow us greater visibility, ”said Kirby, referring to his boss’s comments during the meeting.
Each command will be needed to complete the resignation within the next 60 days, giving commanders and service members some time to figure out how to work on the issue.
During his confirmation hearings, Austin promised that he would “rid our ranks of racists and extremists”, although he refused to offer details on how he planned to do so.
“We also owe our people a work environment free from discrimination, hatred and harassment. If confirmed, I will fight hard to eradicate sexual assault, to rid our ranks of racists and extremists and to create a climate where everyone fits in and desires to have the opportunity to serve this country with dignity, ”said the then-named in his prepared comments. before the Senate last month.
“The Department of Defense’s job is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we cannot do that if some of these enemies are within our own ranks, ”he continued.
At his meeting on Wednesday, the defense secretary told military leaders that, while the numbers may be small, “it is not an insignificant problem”.
“No matter what it is, it is not … an insignificant problem and must be resolved,” Kirby told reporters.
Still, he noted during his stammering for the press: “The vast majority of men and women who serve in uniforms and military are doing so with honor, integrity and character, and do not defend the types of beliefs that lead to the kind of conduct that can be very damaging to good order and discipline and, in fact, is criminal. “