Senior military leaders have condemned viral remarks by Tucker Carlson over his performance on women in uniform. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shares the “disgust” many senior leaders have expressed over the monologue.
Carlson said during his show Tuesday that new care standards and inclusive military uniforms for women are making a mockery of the U.S. military. In a monologue, Carlson said that China’s army has become ‘more masculine’, while ‘our army, as Joe Biden says, needs to become more feminine’.
On Monday, International Women’s Day, President Joe Biden introduced the nominees for combat missions who would be the second and third women to ever lead commandant assignments. He spoke about the measures the army is taking such as updating care standards, such as allowing short ponytails, to make the environment more inclusive for all forces.
Carlson calls these measures a “mockery of the U.S. military.”
Kirby said on Thursday “what we absolutely will not do is seek staff advice from a talk show host or the Chinese army.”
Kirby was asked if Carlson should apologize, and Kirby said he hopes Carlson realizes the mistake he made in commenting that “the entire U.S. military is essentially dishonored and how we defend and serve this country.”
Carlson responded with a nine-minute monologue on Thursday night, saying, “The Department of Defense has launched a large and coordinated public liaison operation against this show.”
“Since when has the Pentagon declared war on a local news operation? Can’t you remember it ever happened,” Carlson said.
Other senior members of the U.S. military weighed in on Carlson’s comments Thursday. In a viral snippet, U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker, the senior designated leader of the U.S. Space Command, said Carlson’s opinion is ‘based on a zero days in the armed services’. He also called on the military to “get back to work” and said: “Let us remember the opinions were made by an individual who has never served a day in his life.”
“Let me give you my opinion, my opinion is based on 28 years of actual service in the military, 28 years in the Marine Corps and combat operations at sea and in Garrison,” he said. ‘And that’s why he talked specifically today about pregnant women in the military and how it makes us less lethal and less fit and less ready. Let me tell you how wrong he is. The decisions were made by medical professionals, commanders and our civilian citizen. leadership that enables women to have more time with their children, to recover, to be fit and ready, to take the time needed that our medical profession needs, that we are actually a more lethal and make more ready and suitable power. Ready to fit in today’s and tomorrow’s wars. ‘
On Twitter, the U.S. military did not immediately respond to Carlson’s comments, but did posted a picture of a woman in uniform with the caption “I’m an American soldier. I will never accept defeat. I will never stop.”
Numerous female veterans responded to Carlson’s comments on Twitter, including Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, who was one of the first women in the military to fly combat missions during the Iraq war.
“F *** Tucker Carlson,” Duckworth tweeted from her campaign account.
While deployed to Iraq in 2004, Duckworth was driving a helicopter hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). Duckworth lost both her legs and partially used her right arm.
“While practicing his two-step approach, American women fighters hunted down Al Qaeda and proved the strength of America’s women,” Duckworth said. tweeted, referring to Carlson’s appearance on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” in 2006. “Happy Late International Women’s Day for everyone except Tucker, for whom I can dance even better than.”
Twitter user Heather Tregle, who according to her bio is an officer of the Attorney General (JAG), said it was a mockery of the military to be a mother while serving.
“I had two children while serving in the military, deployed to two battlefields, advised commanders at home and during the war, and graduated from Naval War College,” she said. ‘I can assure you that my presence does not make a mockery of the military. If you’re looking for a mockery, look in the mirror. ‘
Another individual tweeted that his comments “severely irritated” her and took the opportunity to post a photo of herself from October 1999 when she was at the Army Army Basic Training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
General Jacqueline Van Ovost, commander of the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, did not refer Carlson directly, but tweeted about the ‘kick-ass’ female air force members who served.
“There are almost 70K qualified, kick-female #USAF #Airmen,” Van Ovost tweeted. “We have been evolving for years and will continue to develop and prevent outdated policies that ANY woman can reach their full potential.”
“Inclusion is our strong point,” the general tweeted, “it will be the difference between winning and losing.”
Van Ovost is the choice of mr. Pray to lead the U.S. Transportation Order. At the announcement of Van Ovost and his choice for the U.S. Southern Commando, Lieutenant General Laura Richardson, Mr. Biden said: ‘We need both girls and boys, who have long dreamed of serving for their country, knowing that this is what General US Army looks like. ‘