A former United States Space Force officer said Saturday morning that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is enforced by a âseparate chain of commandâ at the Air Force Academy.
Former Space Force Lieutenant Colonel Matt Lohmeier, who was relieved of command after he spoke out against DEI initiatives in the military in 2021 and says he lost his pension, told guest host Joey Jones on âFox and Friends Saturdayâ that the academy âhas diversity and inclusion cadet officersâ who âreport to a separate chain of command.â Jones had referred to an Arizona State University study that found service academies encourage reporting âprivate conversations that challenge DEI precepts,â asking Lohmeier if he had similar experiences.
âIn fact, come to think of it, I did experience that. A fellow commander informed me that theyâre aware of my kind of politics and that theyâd be happy to turn me into the base commander if I continued to privately criticize our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,â he said. âBut this problem has grown far beyond what I experienced, personally and professionally in the military workplace.â
âMy own alma mater, the U.S. Air Force Academy, has diversity and inclusion cadet officers who wear a special insignia within their cadet squadrons, they wear purple braided rope over the shoulders and they report to a separate chain of command other than their military chain of command, relating to diversity and inclusion issues,â he continued. âIt reminds one of Soviet political commissars that have been established both in the Soviet Union and in other Marxist revolutionary efforts throughout the last century.â
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Lohmeier called DEI a âvery dangerous, very divisive ideologyâ that is treated âlike it is a protected religious worldviewâ that âothers ought to step in line with and support in their words and actions, otherwise face consequences.â
The former commander spoke earlier in the segment about allegedly being fired over his concerns.
âUnfortunately for the American people and for all of the men and women in uniform, itâs been considered for a number of years now to be politically partisan to speak up against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives,â Lohmeier told Jones. âAnd of course, anyone who looks into this matter knows it shouldnât necessarily be considered a partisan issue. I wasnât interested in being politically partisan while I wore the uniform of the country and was in command of a space force unit, but of course, senior military leaders, especially under the current administration, decided that because of the climate of fear that we had created for ourselves they ought to treat my criticism of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as partisan and, quote unquote, hold me accountable for speaking out against it.â
The Air Force Academy did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundationâs request for comment.
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