Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered a “stop” throughout the service for the next 60 days to give military leaders a chance to address extremism in the ranks – after the Pentagon was stunned in check that veterans and active duty members were one of those involved in the assault on the United States Capitol in January.
Under the low position, service members would have a break from their usual activity, so that “every service, every command, and every unit can take the time to have these necessary discussions with the men and women of the force.” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. He told reporters Wednesday.
The 60-day period would allow commanders to schedule events based on the pace of their operations, but it is not entirely clear what form this shutdown will take.
The January 6 events were “a wake-up call” for the Pentagon and for Austin, the nation’s first black secretary of defense, Kirby said, adding that the unrest at the Capitol “certainly had a electrical effect here in the Department of Defense in terms of the notion that anyone active (let alone in the veteran community), but in active duty, could be involved. ”
Austin issued the stop order at a meeting with all service secretaries and heads of service on Wednesday morning. Military leaders said the lack of a concrete definition of extremism often makes it a challenge to take root among the enlisted. According to Kirby, they also mentioned that there is no uniform policy on monitoring the social media accounts of service members as there are first amendment issues to consider. These issues will likely be discussed during implementation to help advance solutions.
This directive follows another note from Austin last month that it ordered senior leaders to inform it on the issue of sexual assault. On Friday they face a deadline to provide a summary of the prevention and accountability measures they have taken over the past year.