Critics have slammed President Joe Biden for costing the military nearly six million man hours to implement his ‘leftist social agenda’ on diversity and extremism in the ranks instead of ‘countering real threats like China, Russia and Iran’.
Joint Chief of Staffs Chairman General Mark Milley revealed that more than 5.3 million hours and $535,000 was spent on extremism ‘stand downs’ or discussions about extremism in the ranks.
In response, 12 Republican Senators on the Armed Services Committee accused the Biden administration of promoting a ‘leftist social agenda in the military instead of countering China, Russia and Iran or creating an effective counterterrorism plan’.
In recent weeks, Russia have amassed troops on the Ukrainian border, China have built up military presence in the South China Sea and U.S. officials warned Iran was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb.
Republican Senators have slammed President Joe Biden for costing the military nearly six million man hours to implement his ‘leftist social agenda’ on diversity and extremism in the ranks instead of ‘countering real threats like China, Russia and Iran’
Republican Senator James Inhofe, of Oklahoma, requested data from the Department of Defense on the amount of hours and money it had spent on new training across the military
Gen Milley made the revelation in response to Republican Senator James Inhofe, of Oklahoma, who had requested data on the amount of hours and money the Department of Defense spent on new training across the military.
This was regarding subjects including climate change, extremism and diversity, equity and inclusion.
Gen Milley outlined the hours and total cost in a letter, obtained by Fox News, sent to Inhofe on January 6 in which he wrote: ‘This averages to just over 2 hours per Service member in a total force of 2.46 million members and is comparable to other Joint Force periodic training requirements.’
Gen Milley also said around 530,000 hours and $477,000 was spent on new diversity, equity and inclusion training and a further 1,000 hours and $5,000 on organizing the department’s Climate Adoption Plan.
A letter, signed by the 12 Republican Senators, including Inhofe, said the U.S. face ‘real threats across the world’ and referred directly to deteriorating relations with Russia, China and Iran.
In recent weeks, more than 130,000 Russian troops have amassed on the border with Ukraine ahead of a potential invasion in the coming days.
The move prompted President Biden to tell Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call on Sunday that the U.S. would respond ‘swiftly and decisively’ if Russia moves forward with an invasion on Ukraine.
U.S. officials warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could happen as early as this week – and likely before the end of the Beijing Olympics.
Last week, former national security adviser to Donald Trump, retired Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, accused Beijing of staging the ‘biggest land grab in history’ with its territorial encroachment on the South China Sea.
Beijing has laid claim to a vast majority of the waters there, and China’s aggressive buildup in military presence and increased exercises in the region has served to alarm and anger U.S. allies there as well as American officials at home.
And at the start of the month, U.S. officials warned that Iran’s nuclear program is on the verge of producing enough fuel for a nuclear bomb in just a matter of weeks and could have a device built in less than a year.
Russian armored vehicles move at the Gozhsky training ground near the border with Ukraine on Saturday during Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. Russia has massed troops near the Ukraine border but denies invasion plans
U.S. carriers in South China Sea, Taiwan, have reported further Chinese incursion. Former national security adviser to Donald Trump, retired Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, accused Beijing of staging the ‘biggest land grab in history’ with its territorial encroachment on the South China Sea
Iranian satellite carrier rocket ‘Simorgh’ is seen in an unknown location in Iran, in this picture obtained on December 30, 2021
In their letter, the 12 Senators accused the Department of Defense of ‘targeting’ military members who they said were ‘by and large all good people’ and ‘faithful patriots’.
They also referred to a Department of Defense reports which found ‘fewer than 100’ military members had engaged in prohibited extremist activity over the past year.
Fox News reported that these findings meant each incident of extremism found in the military saw service members spent around 54,000 hours in training on the subject.
The lawmakers said the Biden administration must make protecting Americans from foreign threats its priority or ‘we will use all tools at our disposal, including the annual defense authorization bill, to ensure that it does’.
The letter was signed by Inhofe, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Rick Scott of Florida, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
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