Extremism in the ranks is a ‘threat,’ but the Pentagon’s not sure how to address it February 21 An armed supporter of President Donald Trump speaks casually with a Washington State Patrol trooper during a rally on Jan. 10, 2021, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. (Ted S. Warren/AP) The sea of protesters-turned-rioters massing near the Capitol on Jan. 6 carried with them pro-Trump signs, American flags and an array of political banners. Also among the crowd were many emblems of the military community: Some waved Marine Corps flags, many sported military tactical gear, even specific unit patches signifying their time in service.
Loading the player.
Jason Smedley remembers the pain of his 2000 attack by lower-ranking Marines during a training exercise he led as a lance corporal at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s School of Infantry. While some held Smedley, the others beat him, knocking out many of his teeth.
“They just didn’t like taking orders from a Black guy,” Smedley said. As punishment, the group was barred from going out that weekend.
Unable to speak after enduring multiple dental surgeries, Smedley fell behind in the training and almost had to start over. At his breaking point, Smedley planned to leave the Marine Corps, until a Major convinced him to stay and ensured he would graduate with his group.
The Article 32 hearing against a former commander of Air Force Research Lab has been rescheduled to Feb. 8 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, an Air Force
Government Executive Get the latest on need-to-know topics for federal employees delivered to your inbox.
email
Combatant commanders are to send plans and best practices within two weeks.
Executive Editor
On President Joe Biden’s orders, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on his first full day in office directed the Pentagon to send him their best plans and practices to address one of the most pervasive and lingering problems for U.S. troops: sexual assault and harassment within the armed forces. But whether the Biden administration will remove sexual-assault trials from defendants’ chains of command, as many advocates want, remains unclear.
With Bidenâs Backing, Austin Prepares to Tackle Militaryâs Sexual Assault Problem
President Biden has been a vocal proponent of moving the cases outside of the military chain of command, even as general after general has argued against it.
Lloyd J. Austin III, the new secretary of defense, ordered a review of how the Pentagon has been handling sexual assault cases.Credit.Doug Mills/The New York Times
Published Jan. 26, 2021Updated Jan. 28, 2021
WASHINGTON â After years of failure to curb the scourge of sexual assault in the military, Lloyd J. Austin III, the new secretary of defense, is open to considering significant revisions to how those crimes are prosecuted, a potential sea change that generations of commanders have resisted.