The U.S. Military’s apparent move to adopt progressive left-wing orthodoxy throughout the ranks reached a new stage last week as an officer who questioned Critical Race Theory training on his base was fired from his job. As AMAC has noted, Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier was removed from his command after voicing concerns that the new “Diversity and Inclusion” initiatives being taught at his base were encouraging left-wing extremism.
Lohmeier had been serving as commander of the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado. He was removed by the head of the Space Force operations command, Lt. General Stephen Whiting.
The forced conversion of the U.S. military to wokeism began earlier this year on February 3rd when Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called for all American service members to conduct a 60-day stand down. The intent was to draw attention to and highlight extremist ideologies in our nation’s military. The move was widely considered to be a response to the presence of several veterans and active-duty service members at the January 6th protest at the Capitol. In an interview, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the stand down “was meant to do two things: to reinforce our values and, specifically, the importance of the oath that everyone takes here to the Constitution and what that oath requires of you.”
To that end, Space Force Lt. Col. Lohmeier raised concerns with base officials regarding the rise of Marxist ideology within the military. The Space Force had recently implemented Diversity, Inclusion, and Unconscious Bias Training at multiple bases that, according to Lohmeier, included videos stating that “the country was evil” and that “whites are inherently evil.” Of all the lessons being taught to servicemembers, the most alarming one reported by Lohmeier concerns the United States Constitution itself. He alleged that some of the videos distributed by leadership label the Constitution as a “racist” document that promotes “white supremacy.” Yet every American service member takes an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.” Indeed they have pledged their lives to defend the document. If Lohmeier’s assertion is accurate, American Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen are being told the very document they’re sworn to uphold is an instrument of evil and oppression. The implications of this are deeply disturbing, to say the least.
Lohmeier believed that this training approach was causing significant division on his base and fostering a very toxic environment—an environment just like the one the trainings were supposedly instructing him to oppose. Despite the flags he raised, the leadership continued to conduct the training.
Earlier this month, Lohmeier appeared on the podcast “Information Operation” hosted by CD, Media to discuss his self-published work, “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military.” During the interview, Lohmeier raised serious concerns about the rise of far-left extremist ideology in the military. While taking great effort to not personally admonish military leadership, he did note regarding Secretary Austin, “I don’t demonize the man, but I want to make it clear to both him and every service member, this [diversity, equity, and inclusion] agenda, it will divide us, it will not unify us.”
Furthermore, Lohmeier alleged that a Pentagon spokesperson said, “There are too many white pilots.” He was critical of this approach, saying: “If you want to provide that kind of messaging to your already struggling pilot force, you can already expect to see further retention problems.” While Press Secretary John Kirby denied saying this, diversifying the pilot ranks has been announced as a major priority of the Air Force in the coming years. In addition, Air Force Brigadier General Christopher M. Short recently said to a group of overwhelmingly white pilots that the Air Force needs pilots who “don’t necessarily look like each of you.”
Later in the interview, Lohmeier suggested that many military leaders share his feelings on the new “Diversity and Inclusion” initiatives. However, they are apprehensive about speaking out, fearing they will be criticized “or might not get promoted” if they do. Based on what happened to Lohmeier, it appears that concern is well-founded.
Though removed from his command, Lohmeier still retains his rank and is still serving with the Space Force. The Air Force Inspector General is now conducting an investigation into Lohmeier’s conduct.
Ultimately, the stakes of the Lohmeier case go far beyond the effect on a Lt. Colonel’s career path. If the military succeeds in punishing an officer who raised concerns about brazen left-wing politicization of the Armed Forces, other officers will quickly learn that the Critical Race Theory dogma is not to be questioned. This may prove a pivotal moment in determining whether America will have a military made up of patriotic and battle-ready warriors or one of the woke activists who are more preoccupied with progressive political theories than they are with winning America’s next war.