Pro-life organizations called ‘terrorist groups’ in Army briefing slide; point to potential broader problems in the readiness of the U.S. military
The military faces a lack of willing recruits rather than a lack of funds to recruit them.
A report by independent journalist Sam Shoemate has purportedly revealed that military officials under the Biden administration are labeling peaceful political opponents as violent extremists.
A slide posted by Shoemate to X/Twitter on July 10 allegedly was shown during an anti-terrorism briefing held at Fort Liberty (previously Fort Bragg ). The slide – viewed more than a million times – identifies pro-life groups National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) and Operation Rescue (OR) as “terrorist groups” due to their opposition to abortion and Roe v. Wade.
Shoemate wrote that the military and Department of Defense (DOD) are “indoctrinated to view Pro-Life groups as the enemy.” He contacted attendees of the briefing who told him that the violent leftist group Antifa was not mentioned as an example of domestic “terrorists.”
Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker contacted Shoemate about his claims and later wrote an article about the incident after he confirmed the authenticity of what happened.
“The briefing was simply a class on how to be a gate guard and what to look for when on duty,” an Army soldier told Blaze News on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “Gate guard duty is something all of us have to do from time to time. It was presented by a DOD civilian, not an anti-terrorism officer.”
The slide also showed an image of a “Choose Life” license plate from New York. Choose Life license plates are available in 33 states and the District of Columbia, according to Choose Life America. The plates have raised more than $29 million for crisis pregnancy centers, Blaze News reported.
The leader of National Right to Life called the presentation of the slide “offensive” and contrasted it with the Biden administration’s support for unlimited abortion.
“In a presentation that is deeply offensive to pro-life Americans across the nation, Fort Liberty promoted outright lies about National Right to Life in a demonstration of lazy scholarship,” said Carol Tobias of National Right to Life, the oldest pro-life organization in the United States. “In our over 50-year history, National Right to Life has always, consistently, and unequivocally condemned violence against anyone.”
The presentation is one of several instances reported in recent years of military officials stigmatizing right-of-center political views. Critics say it directs the attention of the military to domestic political and cultural priorities at the expense of the Armed Forces’ historical mission of defending the nation, LifeSiteNews.com reported.
The rise of “woke” ideology within the military has persisted since the Clinton years despite the presidencies of Republicans George W. Bush and Donald Trump. It is seen as intensifying under current President Joe Biden, who opened the military to recruits suffering from gender dysphoria and launched a review of supposed “domestic extremism” within the military, wrote LifeSiteNews.com.
In March 2023, the Center for Military Readiness published an update on the administration’s work to infuse the armed forces with left-wing gender ideology, including enforcement of preferred pronouns, cross-dressing, and opposite-sex showers and restrooms on military bases. Last November, the Pentagon requested an additional $114.7 million for diversity programs in the upcoming fiscal year, representing $269.2 million in taxpayer dollars spent on military diversity since Biden took office.
Until December 2022, the Pentagon enforced COVID-19 shot mandates on American servicemen and women, resulting in lawsuits and potential shortages in the readiness of troops – leading to a reduction in force strength, troop morale, and public confidence.
In April 2022, Under Secretary of the Army Gabe Camarillo announced a temporary reduction in end strength from 485,000 to 476,000 for 2022 and 473,000 for 2023 – making it the smallest size since 1940. The drastic reduction in force came just months after Camarillo was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The driver of the reduction was said to be a lack of willing recruits rather than a lack of funds to recruit them.
Davis Winkie of the Army Times wrote, “Senior leaders across the Army have gradually acknowledged the grim reality: the service is tens of thousands of troops short from where it was funded to be in fiscal 2022 — and the impact could soon be felt across the force.”
Expert Katherine Kuzminski, who leads the Military, Veterans and Society Team at the Center for a New American Security think tank, told Winkie she is worried the strain on the force could look “like [Obama-era budget] sequestration, where we’re asking a smaller number of people to still carry out the constant number of missions.”
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