Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recommends a service-wide “stand down” for the next 60 days to give military leaders a chance to address extremism in the ranks – after the Pentagon was stunned to find that veterans and active duty members among those involved wash. in the storm of the American Capitol in January.
Under the stand-down, service members will have a break in their regular activity so that ‘every service, every command and every unit can take the time to have these necessary discussions with the men and women of power’, Pentagon spokesman , John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.
The 60-day period will allow commanders to plan events based on the rhythm of their operations, but it is not entirely clear what form this stand-down will take.
The events of January 6 were a wake-up call for the Pentagon and for Austin, the country’s first black defense secretary, Kirby said, adding that the unrest at the Capitol ‘certainly had an electric effect here at the Department of Defense. notion that there may be active duties – let alone in the veteran community – but in the active duty. ”
Austin issued the stand-down order Wednesday morning in a meeting with all of the service secretaries and chiefs of staff. Military leaders said the lack of a concrete definition of extremism makes it difficult to eradicate among the enlisted persons. According to Kirby, they also mentioned that there is no uniform policy on policing social media accounts of service members as there are issues about the first amendment to consider. Both of these issues are likely to be discussed during the shutdown to help move forward with solutions.
This directive follows another Austin memo that last month ordered senior leaders to report to him on sexual assault. They are facing a deadline on Friday to give a summary of the preventive and liability measures they have taken in the past year.