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Senior military leaders express support for women in military after Fox News host Tucker carlsonTucker Carlson NYT criticizes Tucker Carlson for attacking reporter The Hill’s Morning Report complained on her show about recent changes designed to attract and retain more female members of the service.
“Women lead our deadliest units with character,” tweeted Sgt. Major of the army Michael Grinston, the service’s best enlisted chef. “They will rule ANY future battlefield on which we are called to fight. @ TuckerCarlson’s words are divisive, do not reflect our values. We have the MOST professional, educated, agile and strongest [noncommissioned officer] Body in the world.
Monday, President BidenJoe BidenManchin Confirms Key 50-50 Senate Vote Status The Memo: How COVID Year Shook Politics Post-Pandemic Plans For Lawmakers: Chuck E. Cheese, Visiting Friends, Grandchildren Hugging MORE marked International Women’s Day by touting the recent promotion of two female general. In her speech, Biden also referred to efforts in recent years to better accommodate women in the military, including work on designing maternity flight suits and updating grooming standards to allow for a wider range. hairstyles.
The following night, Carlson denounced these efforts.
“So we have new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to wage our wars. This is a mockery of the US military,” Carlson said.
“As the Chinese army becomes more masculine as it has assembled the largest navy in the world, our army must become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine, whatever the feminine meaning,” he said. he continued.
Tucker delivered the monologue alongside a photo of an Air Force officer, who wore an artificial hump, modeling a flight suit designed for pregnant women.
The changes Carlson focused on were initiated under the Trump administration.
The Air Force is working on purchasing maternity flight suits after announcing in 2019 that it would allow pilots to continue flying longer during pregnancy without waivers.
Meanwhile, in January, the military unveiled new recommended grooming standards in December, including allowing longer ponytails and wider braids, cornrows, or twists. While grooming regulations aim to increase uniformity, many women of color have complained that the strict rules do not allow braids or other hairstyles that are easier on those with textures and hair lengths. different.
Asked Thursday about Carlson’s comments, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby relayed to Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd Austin Night Defense: House Passes COVID-19 .9T Relief Bill | McConnell Says Capitol Security Reminds Him Of ‘Last Visit To Kabul’ | Austin and Blinken travel to South Korea and Japan for first overseas trips Pentagon announces Top Biden climate task force leaders to meet Chinese in Alaska READ MORE“Disgust” of the segment.
“What we absolutely won’t do is take the advice of the staff of a talk show host, or the Chinese military, and maybe these people feel like they have something. thing to prove is on them, “Kirby told reporters.
But Kirby also said the United States Forces Network (AFN), which broadcasts to troops deployed overseas, will continue to broadcast Carlson’s show.
“By instruction, we are required to disseminate and make available to men and women and their families abroad the same type of content, news, information and sports content that their fellow citizens can obtain. , so his show airs on AFN, ”Kirby said.
I hope in the reaction he sees, and hopefully our reaction here today, that he realizes the mistake he made and expresses some regrets about the way he has basically demeaned the entire US military, and how we defend how we serve this country, ”he added.
Fox News spokespersons did not immediately respond to a request for comment on negative reactions to Carlson’s segment among military leaders.
Several senior military officers have taken to Twitter to strike back at Carlson.
“Thousands of women serve honorably every day in the world”, tweeted General Paul Funk, Commander of the Army Doctrine and Training Command. “They are beacons of freedom and they prove Carlson wrong with his determination and dedication. We are fortunate that they serve with us. “
Funk’s deputy, Lieutenant-General Ted Martin, posted a photo of his daughter in combat fatigues and said “contrary to what you may hear, this WOMAN and thousands of WOMEN like her are not ‘making fun of our soldiers’. “
“You WISH your daughter was as awesome as mine!” then COME ON, ”Martin added.
Major-General Pat Donahoe, Commander of Fort Benning and the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, posted a video of himself leading a re-engagement ceremony for a female soldier as “a reminder that @TuckerCarlson couldn’t be more wrong.”
Command Sgt. Major Rocky Carr, the senior enlisted leader in Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, posted a photo of him and his wife after a 5 kilometer race near Fort Hood and noted that she was the best overall.
“Note: she was 12 weeks pregnant with our daughter. #soHooah, ”Carr tweeted.
The military’s official Twitter account also appeared to be immersed in controversy on Thursday, tweeting several photos of female soldiers as well as messages about their abilities, though the tweets were not addressed directly to Carlson.
“I am an American soldier. I am ready to deploy, engage and destroy the enemies of the United States of America, hand to hand,” read a tweet which included a photo of a woman using an M2 .50 caliber machine gun.
The higher command enlisted chief of US Space Command, Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, meanwhile, dismissed Carlson’s comments as being “based on zero days of military service.”
The military’s maternity policies, which Stalker said have been briefed by medical professionals, “actually make a force more lethal and ready and fit,” he said in a video released Thursday. on Twitter.
Ellen Mitchell contributed to this report, which was updated at 12:28 pm.
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