Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered the “withdrawal” of the entire U.S. military over the next 60 days so that commanders can address extremism in their ranks.
News of the military break came Wednesday in a Pentagon announcement, with press secretary John Kirby describing the move to journalists as similar to the casualties the units have to make to deal with security concerns.
Austin issued the order after a meeting on the issue with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chief of Staff Mark Milley, as well as with civil service leaders and heads of service.
The group also discussed last month’s Capitol riots, Kirby said, noting the presence of veterans and active duty members at the shocking scene. They left the meeting still uncertain about how to fully address the issue.
According to Kirby, the riot was “an alarm call” for the entire department.
The press secretary went on to cite Austin who described extremism in the ranks as a leadership issue.
“It has to be a leadership issue down to the lowest levels, a small unit leadership up to it. So if you consider it a leadership issue, maybe there will be some potential solutions that allow us greater visibility,” Kirby said. , referring to the comments of his boss during the meeting.
Each order will need to complete the stop over the next 60 days, giving commanders and service members time to figure out how to work the problem.
During his confirmation hearings, Austin pledged to “eliminate our ranks of racists and extremists,” although he declined to offer details on how he planned to do so.
“We also owe our people a work environment free of discrimination, hatred and harassment. If confirmed, I will fight hard to eliminate sexual assault, to eliminate our racist and extremist groups and to create a climate where everyone fits in and wants to have the opportunity to serve this country with dignity, ”the then nominee said in his He made statements to the Senate last month.
“The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we can’t do it if some of these enemies are in our own ranks, ”he continued.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the defense secretary told military leaders that while the numbers may be small, “it’s not an insignificant problem.”
“No matter what, it’s not an insignificant problem and needs to be fixed,” Kirby told reporters.
However, he noted during his press joke: “The vast majority of men and women who serve in uniform and military do so with honor, integrity and character, and do not uphold the kind of beliefs that lead to the kind of conduct that it can be so detrimental to good order and discipline, and in fact it is criminal. “