The story revolves around the controversy surrounding claims of “white supremacy” and extremism within the ranks of the U.S. military, a narrative initially propagated by President Biden’s administration, particularly by Colin Kahl, Biden’s pick for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. In March 2021, Kahl made sweeping statements that one of his primary goals would be to address “violent extremism and systemic racism” within the military, despite lacking substantial evidence for such widespread issues. This claim led to media coverage and political support, but also significant pushback.
At a confirmation hearing for U.S. Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth, Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) criticized the Biden administration’s focus on these unproven claims of racism and extremism within the armed forces, arguing that it diverted attention from the military’s core priorities of readiness and lethality. Sullivan called the notion of a racist military “false” and “insulting,” pointing out that it had been one of the most disgraceful narratives he had witnessed in his time as a senator and Marine Corps Reserve officer.
When asked if he believed the U.S. military was a systemically racist organization, Hegseth strongly disagreed, calling the assertion “fundamentally false” and emphasizing that the U.S. military is one of the least racist institutions in the country. Hegseth also defended the military’s track record, stating that racism had not been tolerated in any of the formations he had served in.
The conversation also referenced a contentious claim that up to 10% of U.S. service members could be extremists. Sullivan rejected this figure, which would suggest over 200,000 members of the military held extremist views. He highlighted that several military commanders had testified against the existence of significant extremism within their forces, including Admiral Charles Richard of U.S. Strategic Command, who said he was confident that the number of extremists in his forces was zero.
Despite the lack of evidence, the Biden administration’s narrative was fueled by media coverage and the reinforcement of the story by some political allies. However, Hegseth and Sullivan argued that it was an unfair and unfounded smear campaign against the military, distracting from the true goals of national defense.
