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- The US military is investigating the presence of two uniformed soldiers at the virtual Democratic National Convention as a potential violation of policy.
- The two army soldiers appeared during the roll-call vote of American Samoa party delegates.
- Participation in political events violates Department of Defense protocol that employees are not partisan.
- “Wearing a uniform during a partisan political event like this is prohibited,” a US military spokesperson said.
- The DNC called its decision to present the troops an “oblivion”.
- Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.
The military is investigating two soldiers who appeared in a clip at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night as a potential violation of its partisanship rules.
Uniformed Army soldiers are seen standing behind American Samoa party delegates during a virtual roll call Tuesday night, when representatives from the 57 U.S. states and territories officially nominated Joe Biden as the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate .
Members of the military are not permitted to display any sort of endorsement, sponsorship or endorsement of political parties, candidates and causes in order to maintain their non-partisanship, in accordance with a long-standing policy of the Department of Defense.
“Wearing a uniform during a partisan political event like this is prohibited,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Emmanuel Ortiz-Cruz told Insider on Wednesday. “Examples of prohibited political activities [for Army soldiers] include campaigning for a candidate, soliciting contributions, marching in a partisan parade, and wearing a uniform at a partisan event. “
The spokesperson confirmed that the military is reviewing the two soldiers assigned to the 9th Mission Support Command.
The DNC described the inclusion of troops in the segment as a mistake on its part.
“Each state was asked to highlight the issues and values that matter most and the American Samoa delegation wanted to underline their commitment to military service when they filmed their segment,” said a DNC official. to Insider. “The composition of this plan was an oversight.”
Home to around 60,000 people, American Samoa had the highest military enlistment rate of any U.S. state or territory in 2014.
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