Some troops have drawn equivalencies between the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and last year's protests for racial justice during recent stand-downs to address extremism, worrying the military's top enlisted leader.
In a Thursday briefing with reporters at the Pentagon, Chief Master Sergeant Ramón "CZ" Colón-López, the senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that some troops have asked, when the Jan. 6 riot is brought up, "How come you're not looking at the situation that was going on in Seattle prior to that?"
"This is coming from every echelon that we're talking to," he added.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the stand-down Feb. 5 and gave units across the military 60 days to discuss extremism in the ranks with troops.
The military's policies are clear, he said: Troops are not to advocate for, or participate in, supremacist, extremist or criminal gang doctrine, ideology or causes.
The military remains an apolitical organization, Colón-López said, and it doesn't matter if an extremist group is far right or far left -- both are off limits.
"If it's an organization that is actually imposing harm, threat, destruction, criminal activity and so on, then we don't condone that behavior," Colón-López said. "We're focusing on letting people know exactly what the oath tells us to do when it comes to obeying lawful orders, remaining apolitical and basically being good stewards of society."
But as the training sessions took place, some themes emerged that worried leaders.
Those conducting the sessions wanted "to make sure that military members understand the difference between Seattle and [the Jan. 6 riot in] Washington, D.C.," Colón-López said. "But some of our younger members are confused about this, so that's what we need to go ahead and talk to them about and educate them on, to make sure that they know exactly what they can and cannot do."
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The fake president and his socialist party hates American way of life to them while BLM/Antifa were burning and destroying DC was the America they want but when you're protesting and waving the American flag it makes them angry and hate you more.
The military's position on defining extremism and unlawful political groups is extremely disappointing... and problematic. Beginning with the Secretary of Defenses' equating Seattle's riots and criminal insurrection with the coopted DC demonstration and assembly. Equating MAGA and Antifa is a Red Herring argument designed to demonize the largely peaceful assembly of the MAGA protestors by conflating them with the Antifa and BLM activists, who broke out windows, set fires, assaulted police, and basically turned a peaceful demonstration into a riot.
The Secretary of Defence's view that 'white supremacists' are a major problem in the military and a threat to national security is in my opinion overstated and misdirected, It is also very disappointing to tind the DOD Secretary apparently willing to ignore Antifa and BLM as terrorists. The Secretary's positions on domestic violence and terrorism appear more like a Marxist PURGE of dissident and counter-revolutionary's than to correct any internal dispute or confusion over lawful assembly and protests.
These so-called 'training sessions' appear more like indoctrination sessions to sternly define what is acceptable behavior rather than clarifying the primary mission of the US Military.
The protestors in the Capitol similar to BLM (and/or Antifa) - you have to be kidding. After seeing countless slips of that day, it seems the Capitol police were the worst agitators. Are violent people on the right - yes there are. but few of them are as bad the BLM or Antifa. I can understand. however, that some people would be confused. The lies the media puts out are disturbing.
I surely hope!
Seems to me as a veteran, that most of what they are trying to "teach" them should have already been taught in basic training...
Very simple. One was a peacefull protest until they were infiltrated by the Nazi Antifa ie: the Capito. and the other was a commie RIOT by antifa ie PORTLAND.
Correct, but common sense was murdered & all forms of media helped bury it.