WASHINGTON — The U.S. military on Wednesday acknowledged it was unsure about how to address white nationalism and other extremism in its ranks, and announced plans for military-wide stand-downs pausing regular activity at some point in the next 60 days to tackle the issue.
The decision to hold a stand-down was made by Lloyd Austin, who made history by becoming the military’s first Black defense secretary after a long career rising in the ranks of the Army. In his confirmation hearing, Austin underscored the need to rid the military of “racists and extremists”.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Austin ordered the stand-down after a meeting with the U.S. military branch leader…
Keep on reading: Pentagon, stumped by extremism in ranks, orders stand-down in next 60 days