![]() ![]() I think that training needs to go on, routinely.”Īustin gained confirmation after clearing a legal hurdle prohibiting anyone from serving as defense chief until they have been out of the military for seven years. “I don’t think that you can ever take your hand off the steering wheel here.”īut he also cautioned that there won’t be an easy solution, adding, “I don’t think that this is a thing that you can put a Band-Aid on and fix and leave alone. “Most of us were embarrassed that we didn’t know what to look for and we didn’t really understand that by being engaged more with your people on these types of issues can pay big dividends,” he said, recalling the 82nd Airborne problems. They must ensure their troops are trained and aware of the prohibitions. ![]() Central Command and the first to be the Army’s vice chief of staff - also knows that much of the solution must come from within the military services and lower-ranking commanders. They must get to know their troops, and look for signs of extremism or other problems, he said.īut Austin - the first Black man to serve as head of U.S. While leaders insist only a small minority hold extremist views, there have been persistent incidents of racial hatred and, more subtly, a history of implicit bias in what is a predominantly white institution.Īustin, who broke racial barriers throughout his four decades in the Army, said military leaders must set the right example to discourage and eliminate extremist behavior. Racism has long been an undercurrent in the military. We just didn’t know what to look for or what to pay attention to.”Īustin is not the first secretary to grapple with the problem. But we discovered that the signs for that activity were there all along. “And they did bad things that we certainly held them accountable for. “We woke up one day and discovered that we had extremist elements in our ranks,” Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. He spent the rest of his career ensconced in a Pentagon office at the heart of the military-industrial machine, pondering and probing its institutional. They included 17 who were considered white supremacists or separatists. The killing triggered an internal investigation, and all told, 22 soldiers were linked to skinhead and other similar groups or found to hold extremist views. Investigators concluded the two were targeted because of their race. Austin was serving with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, three white soldiers, described as self-styled skinheads, were arrested in the murder of a Black couple who was walking down the street. At Tuesday’s confirmation hearing, he explained why. Austin, who was confirmed in a 93-2 vote, has made clear that accelerating delivery of coronavirus vaccines will get his early attention.īut the racism issue is personal. Ridding the military of racists isn’t his only priority. Related: Tampa Bay public officials commend Biden’s defense secretary nominee ![]()
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