GOP Seeks To Defund Pentagon’s Anti-Extremism Work

The Military Times reports:

Lawmakers moved this week to abolish a Pentagon working group aimed at preventing extremism in the military, a decision some advocates said reveals a lack of concern about the issue from Congress.

House and Senate negotiators included a measure in their compromise draft of the annual defense policy bill to stop federal dollars from going toward the Countering Extremist Activity Working Group.

Earlier this year, Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., introduced the measure to halt the working group, describing its work as unnecessary. He argued his proposal was key to “eliminating the ‘wokeness’ in our military,” referring to what he sees as a rise in radically progressive policies at the Pentagon.

Read the full article. Last week the Pentagon reported finding dozens of active duty far-right extremists among the ranks. My June 2023 report on Alford’s bill is here. Alford, a freshman, is a former local television news anchor.

The Pentagon working group to combat extremism could be finished https://t.co/AkbkJigxjk

— Military Times (@MilitaryTimes) December 9, 2023