(HorizonPost.com) – A former Space Force officer who was relieved of command in 2021 after criticizing the US military, said last weekend that the Air Force Academy’s DEI program is enforced by a “separate chain of command.”
Former Lt. Col. Matt Lohmeier lost his command of the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Colorado’s Buckley Air Force Base after he appeared on conservative podcaster Steve Gruber’s show to discuss his book about Marxism in the US Military “Irresistible Revolution.”
The Pentagon said at the time that Lohmeier’s comments amounted to “partisan political activity,” which is prohibited.
In an appearance on “Fox & Friends Saturday,” Lohmeier told host Joey Jones that the Air Force Academy has cadets who are diversity and inclusion officers who “report to a separate chain of command.”
When Jones asked him about a study that found military academies encourage cadets to report “private conversations” that question diversity, equity, and inclusion, Lohmeier said that had been his experience.
He said another officer claimed to be aware of Lohmeier’s politics and was willing to turn him into the base commander if he continued to criticize DEI initiatives on base.
Lohmeier explained that the DEI cadets at the academy were a special insignia identifying them as responsible for diversity and inclusion, saying it was similar to the political commissars in the Soviet Army.
Lohmeier told Joey Jones that DEI was a dangerous and divisive ideology that is protected like a religion. He said those who do not “step in line” will “face consequences.”
The former commander also discussed the consequences he faced for speaking out against diversity, equity, and inclusion in the military.
Lohmeier suggested that speaking out against DEI should not be considered politically partisan and said that he had no interest in being politically partisan when he was serving in the military. However, he added, under the current administration, senior military leaders considered his criticism of DEI initiatives as partisan, and that in the current “climate of fear,” they decided to hold him accountable.
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