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Admiral Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, dismissed sharp questioning from GOP lawmakers who grilled him over his decision to recommend sailors read a book some conservatives consider anti-American.
The U.S. Navy High Admiral also championed measures to counter racism and extremism in the forces as well as his efforts to strengthen inclusion and diversity, which have drawn criticism from some conservatives and Republican lawmakers. .
Do you personally consider advocating the destruction of American capitalism to be extremist? Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Asked Gilday during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, referring to a passage from Ibram X. Kendis’s book How to Be an Anti-Racist, which argues that capitalism and racism are linked.
Banks continued to question the Admiral about specific quotes from Kendis’ book, which was a New York Times No.1 bestseller in 2020, and statements he had made elsewhere in the past.
Visibly distraught, Gilday retaliated:
I’m not going to sit here and defend handpicked quotes from someone’s book, he said. This is a bigger problem than Kendis’ book. What it’s really about is trying to portray the US military and US navy as weak, as awake.
He added that Sailors spent 341 days at sea last year with minimal port visits, the Navy’s longest deployments, he said.
We are not weak. We are strong, said Gilday.
Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., Also challenged the Admiral, citing specific quotes from the book and asked how these ideas presented by Kendi would advance or further enhance the might of the Navy.
Gilday responded by emphasizing the importance of transparency and an open dialogue on racism.
There is racism in the Navy just like there is racism in our country, and the way we’re going to get out of it is to be honest and not sweep it under the rug, he explained, adding that he does not agree with everything the author says in the book.
The key point however, he said, is that sailors are able to think critically.
The exchange was the latest of vehement complaints from some conservative leaders and lawmakers who suggest the armed forces are becoming a pawn for culture wars and the country’s awakening ideology, as the military takes action to resolve the issues of racial inclusion, extremism, racism and white supremacy.
And only last week, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Approached Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about Kendis’ book, which Cotton said promoted critical racial theories at another Committee hearing. of the armed services of the Senate where Austin testified.
Days earlier, Cotton and Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, two combat veterans launched an online whistleblower platform to report instances of aroused ideology in the military.
Enough is enough. We will not let our military down because of awakened ideology, Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, said in a tweet.
Also in February, Austin ordered a one-day Defense Department-wide suspension, suspending regular activities to combat extremism and white nationalism in the ranks, an issue Austin declared a priority after a number of rioters at the U.S. Capitol in January were found to have military backgrounds.
The pullout completed in April was an effort to better understand the scale of the problem of extremism within the ranks, Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby said in a briefing at the time.
Previously, Austin had revoked the ban on diversity training for the military.
More recently, in May, an animated US Army advertisement focusing on the diversity of soldiers featuring the true story of a soldier who enlisted after being raised by two mothers in California drew criticism and political backlash. from some conservative lawmakers.
Holy shit, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a tweet. Maybe an awake and emasculated military isn’t the best idea. . . .
Cruz was referring to a TikTok video that compared the US Army ad to a campaign in Russia that showed buff soldiers doing push-ups and jumping from planes, adding that the contrast made American soldiers think.
Tuesday’s showdown is also Rep’s latest complaint. Banks, who is a Naval Reserve officer, and other GOP members on the recommendation of Gildays to include Kendis’ book in the professional reading program of the Chief of Naval Operations.
In February, Banks sent a letter to Gilday claiming that the views promoted in the book are explicitly anti-American and asked Gilday to explain the Navy’s decision to include him on the reading list or remove him.
Gilday responded to Banks in a letter obtained by Fox News saying the book was included in the list because it talks about the authors’ personal journey to understanding the barriers to true inclusion, the deep nuances of racism and racial inequality.
Lamborn and Rep. Vicky Hartzler, D-Mo., Also wrote a letter to the Admiral expressing concern over the inclusion of Kendis’ book as well as Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow and Jason Piercesons Sexual Minorities. and Politics.
GOP lawmakers argued that the books reinforce the idea that America is a confederation of identity categories of the oppressed and their oppressors rather than a common homeland of individual citizens united by common goals, Lamborn and Hartzler wrote. , according to Fox News.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday answers questions during a press conference in the Pentagon briefing room, June 19, 2020 (Marv Lynchard / Department of Defense)
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