Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) criticism this past week of efforts to rid America’s military of white nationalists has roiled the ongoing debate over how much the Pentagon should monitor racial attitudes within its ranks.
President Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended their efforts to counter extremism during commencement addresses over the weekend, though they didn’t mention Tuberville by name.
With talks beginning on the annual defense authorization bill next month, political clashes are sure to heat up over Defense Department (DOD) programs to weed out those with extreme views while promoting diversity and inclusion.
While the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has typically been a venue for culture war battles during the drafting process, some fear this year could see extraordinary hostility.
“I do think it’s going to be more contentious,” Wendy Via, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said of this year’s debate around the bill. “I sincerely hope that members on both sides of the aisle will recognize that this is not a political issue. This is a safety and national security issue.”
Tuberville found himself at the center of a storm of criticism last week over his interview with a local NPR station in Alabama, during which he was asked whether he thought white nationalists should be allowed to enlist and serve in the military.
“Well, they call them that. I call them Americans,” he replied in an interview with WBHM in Birmingham.
The comments drew swift condemnation from the left, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) last Thursday saying white nationalism “has no place in our armed forces and no place in any corner of American society.”
Source : The Hill
