Category: Pentagon

Devastated Female Afghan Reporter Weeps During Pentagon Briefing. John Kirby’s Response Was Yet Another Slap in the Face

BY PAULA BOLYARD

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/paula-bolyard/2021/08/16/devastated-female-afghan-reporter-weeps-during-pentagon-briefing-john-kirbys-response-was-yet-another-slap-in-the-face-n1470099;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

A female Afghan reporter broke down in the Pentagon briefing Monday afternoon, lamenting the U.S. withdrawal from her home country and explaining what the consequences would be for girls and women.

“As you know, I’m from Afghanistan,” Nazira Karimi began, “and I’m very upset today because Afghan women didn’t expect that overnight all the Taliban came.”

“They took off my flag,” she exclaimed, pointing to her face mask emblazoned with the flag of Afghanistan, “and they put their flag” in its place.

“Everybody is upset, especially women,” Karimi explained.

“Where is my president? Former President Ghani?” she asked. “People expected that he would [unintelligible] and immediately he runs away. We don’t know where is he and we don’t have a president.”

She paraphrased President Biden’s explanation for the withdrawal from Afghanistan: “President Ghani knows that he has to fight for his people. They have to do everything and we were able to financially help them.”

“But we don’t have any president,” she cried. “We don’t have anything. Afghan people, don’t know what to do. Women [have had a] lot of achievement in Afghanistan, and I have a lot of achievement.”

“I left from the Taliban like 20 years ago,” she continued. Now the women in her country must “go back to the first step again.”

Related: Biden’s Speech on Afghanistan Was Terrible, But This Part Made the Least Sense of All

“Heartfelt respect for what you’re going through,” replied Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. “Let me say, with all respect, that I understand, and we all understand the anxiety and the fear and the pain that you’re feeling.”

“Nobody here at the Pentagon is happy about the images that we’ve seen coming out in the last few days,” he added. “And we’re all mindful of the kind of governance that the Taliban is capable of. So, heartfelt respect for what you’re going through, and we understand that.”

It’s the official equivalent of a flippant “thoughts and prayers” remark. And that’s about all the women and girls of Afghanistan—who now face lives of uncertainty, oppression, fear, and enslavement—will get from the Biden administration.

WATCH: 

This article has been updated to include the name of the reporter.

U.S. military members threaten to quit if Pentagon makes COVID-19 vaccines mandatory in the fall, as expected

Image: U.S. military members threaten to quit if Pentagon makes COVID-19 vaccines mandatory in the fall, as expected

BY J.D. HEYES

SEE: https://www.naturalnews.com/2021-07-07-military-members-threaten-to-quit-covid19-vaccines-mandatory.html;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

(Natural News) Current and former members of the U.S. military wondered when the vaccine Nazis in the Biden regime would get around to mandating shots for currently serving soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, and it appears as though the timeline has been set: Later this fall, at least for the Army.

“The Army and other branches of the military are preparing to administer mandatory COVID-19 vaccines as early as Sept. 1. This order is pending full Food and Drug Administration approval of the COIVD-19 vaccines, now under emergency use approval,” noted a post at Hot Air on Friday.

According to a report in the Army Times, the directive came down from the Department of the Army HQ — which, of course, received its instructions from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which got its instructions from the Biden regime.

“Commanders will continue COVID-19 vaccination operations and prepare for a directive to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for service members [on or around] 01 September 2021, pending full FDA licensure,” HQDA EXORD 225-21 said. “Commands will be prepared to provide a back brief on servicemember vaccination status and way ahead for completion once the vaccine is mandated.”

‘EXORDs’ — Execution Orders — are issued via directive by the commander-in-chief, which is Joe Biden (or whoever is filling in for him at the time).

Mind you, COVID-19 vaccines are experimental and were approved on an emergency basis by the Food and Drug Administration. And under U.S. law, COVID vaccines cannot be mandated.

Local CBS4 News reports:

Ever since the FDA granted emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccines, employers, schools, and other organizations have been grappling with whether or not to require the shot. 

Right now, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson are all being used under an emergency use authorization. Under federal law, until the vaccines are licensed, they cannot be mandated.

But, are federal agencies exempted? How about the military — is it also exempt from such restrictions?

To a growing number of current members, whether the service branches are exempt or not isn’t the issue. They don’t want a COVID vaccine, and they’ll quit rather than be forced to take one.

Notes The Epoch Times:

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he was informed by some members of the U.S. military that they would quit if the armed forces mandated a COVID-19 vaccine, coming after a report claimed that Army headquarters told commanders to prepare for mandatory vaccinations in September.

It isn’t clear how the service members could quit or how many would try to do so. Once a member reports to their first duty station, they are obligated to stay within the service of the armed forces. If a service member leaves without approval, they can be declared AWOL, or absent without leave.

“I’ve been contacted by members of our voluntary military who say they will quit if the COVID vaccine is mandated. I introduced HR 3860 to prohibit any mandatory requirement that a member of the Armed Forces receive a vaccination against COVID-19. It now has 24 sponsors,” Massie wrote on Twitter.

He went on to note that his tweet was “targeted” by “science-illiterate, military hating, angry blue [checkmark]” users on the social media platform.

“There are no health outcomes based studies that show any benefit from the vaccine for those who have already had COVID,” he wrote.

That’s true; increasingly, studies show that anyone who has actually had the virus is very well protected against contracting it again and does not have any tendency to spread it because they have developed antibodies.

What’s also true, according to an emerging body of research, is that young people who have had the virus and who then get a vaccine are developing blood clots and other problems after taking the shot. Some have become very ill.

But the Biden vaccine Nazis don’t care: This is all about control at this point.

Sources include:

HotAir.com

TheEpochTimes.com

Vaccines.news

Pentagon OKs Chinese Drones Previously Banned over Espionage Concerns

BY Veronika Kyrylenko

SEE: https://thenewamerican.com/pentagon-oks-using-chinese-drones-previously-banned-over-espionage-concerns/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

After years of citing potential spying by China via sophisticated drones, the Pentagon has approved the U.S. military to acquire two Chinese-made “Government Edition” drones.

A recent Pentagon report seen by the Hill found “no malicious code or intent” in two drone models manufactured by Da Jiang Innovations (DJI), a Chinese company, and one of the world’s foremost drone makers. The May 6 report, released on Tuesday, concludes that DJI’s drones are “recommended for use by government entities and forces working with U.S. services.” 

“This U.S. government report is the strongest confirmation to date of what we, and independent security validations, have been saying for years — DJI drones are safe and secure for government and enterprise operations,” DJI spokesperson Adam Lisberg told the Hill.

Almost 80 percent of all drones used in the United States and Canada are made by DJI.

The Department of Defense green-lighting controversial drones comes after escalating concerns at the federal level around the security of DJI and Chinese drones more broadly.

DJI was added to the Commerce Department’s “entity list” — i.e., the list of bodies considered a “national security concern” — late last year, effectively blacklisting the company.

The specific filing on DJI said the company “enabled wide-scale human rights abuses within China through abusive genetic collection and analysis or high-technology surveillance.” This is likely a reference to DJI’s involvement in providing drones to the Chinese government to surveil detention camps in the Xinjiang province, as detailed in a Bloomberg Businessweek report.

The filing also allows for a “case-by-case review for items necessary to detect, identify and treat infectious disease; presumption of denial for all other items.” 

This latest in a series of security measures against foreign drones. Individual U.S. agencies have taken their own measures, including the Pentagon and Department of Justice, while in 2019 the Department of Homeland Security issued an alert that Chinese-made drones were stealing data.

“We know that a lot of the information is sent back to China from those [drones], so it is not something that we can use,” said Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment in 2019.

The DHS alleged that Chinese drones can record and store sensitive data — flight paths for example — and transmit it back to Chinese intelligence agencies. Companies using the devices were advised to shut off their network connectivity to avoid theft of information.

“While companies operating within any country are typically expected to comply with applicable law and government regulations, foreign governments may require companies to disclose far more information without significant legal protection for customers,” the bulletin reads. “UAS [unmanned aircraft systems] data is often sent to servers controlled by or accessible to the UAS manufacturing company or third-party application vendor … Data servers run by or accessible to foreign companies, especially those located in foreign countries, may be susceptible to foreign law enforcement and government seizure without the benefit of the types of legal protections under US law.”

The document referenced another industry bulletin titled “Chinese Manufactured Unmanned Aircraft Systems.” That document warned the private industry of Chinese-made UAS-connected devices capable of collecting and transferring data, citing China’s “unusually stringent obligations on its citizens to support national intelligence activities.”

The Justice Department also banned the use of agency grants last year to purchase drones from foreign companies deemed a threat, seeking to address potential cyber and foreign influence threats.

Commenting on the ban, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said that “We take seriously concerns about the use of foreign-made UAS and the potential for related data compromise. It is paramount that funding recipients take effective measures to safeguard sensitive information and the public’s privacy and civil liberties while operating these systems in a safe and secure manner.”

DJI officials denied any such accusations.

Lawmakers are currently weighing restrictions against the use of Chinese drones.

The massive bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which was introduced as a substitute amendment to the Endless Frontier Act last month by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), includes the American Security Drone Act.

That latter bill, introduced in the Senate in January by Senator Rick Scott (R-Fl.) and co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of senators, would prohibit the federal government from purchasing drones manufactured by countries deemed to be a threat to the United States, such as China. It would also prohibit local governments from using federal funds to purchase such drones.

At present, most drones are operated under direct human control. Increasingly, though, manufacturers are getting smarter with higher levels of onboard artificial intelligence, building drones capable of carrying out not just landings and takeoffs but entire missions. It remains unclear why the Department of Defense explicitly calls China a “pacing threat,” yet approved the military use of China-manufactured drones that were previously banned by multiple U.S. federal entities over espionage concerns.

Biden’s Pentagon Denies Veterans Biker Group a Parking Permit for Memorial Day Event – First Time in 32 Years

BY BRYAN PRESTON

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/bryan-preston/2021/05/01/bidens-pentagon-denies-veterans-biker-group-a-parking-permit-for-memorial-day-event-first-time-in-32-years-n1444033;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

ABC-7 News in Washington reports the Biden administration has found yet another use for the COVID pandemic.

In South Dakota, Biden’s unity-branded administration is using the pandemic to cancel 4th of July fireworks at Mt. Rushmore. The fact that the pandemic was worse last year, Mt. Rushmore fireworks went forward, and there wasn’t a single case of COVID linked to that event is immaterial.

In the nation’s constitutional capital, which Biden wants to turn into its own state on a par with Texas despite the fact it has fewer people than Austin, Biden’s woke Pentagon has denied AMVETS a parking permit for their Memorial Day ride through the city they put their lives on the line to defend.

COVID is of course the handy excuse.

The Pentagon released the following statement on Friday, leaving the group little time to prepare for an alternative and burying bad news on the weekend:

Unfortunately, the department has disapproved AMVETS permit request. The department took into careful consideration all aspects of AMVETS request, to include the current Health Protection Condition status on the Pentagon Reservation; substantial community transmission of COVID-19 in Arlington County, Virginia; number of Americans fully vaccinated across the nation; nature of this event with its decreased ability to maintain physical distance; and large crowds in one location for an extended period of time. This event draws national attention and participation; therefore the risk of exposure from participants from other communities extends well beyond the National Capital Region.

If COVID-19 conditions permit, the department would gladly consider supporting a future event request from AMVETS, potentially as soon as this Labor Day weekend.

The department looks forward to supporting future events with AMVETS, and as always, we appreciate AMVETS’ support of our veterans, their families, and their communities, including promoting better awareness of veterans’ issues, as well as AMVETS continued support for our missing-in-action service members.

COVID is improving, more of us are vaccinated, life is returning to normal in much of the United States. That doesn’t seem to have influenced the Pentagon’s decision.

The permit denial is actually a revocation, and it comes as much of the rest of the capital is reopening.

The Pentagon continues to decline the I-Team’s request for an on-camera interview. It did admit it revoked a parking permit for AmVets after approving it in March.

The Pentagon’s denial comes on the heels of the Smithsonian announcing last week that it will reopen eight of its facilities to the public in May, starting with the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly on Wednesday, May 5.

Additional museums and the National Zoo will open Friday, May 14, and Friday, May 21. Also on Friday, the United States Holocaust Museum announced that it plans to reopen on Monday, May 17 with reduced visitation, required face coverings, temperature checks, social distancing, and other safety measures.

Veterans are obviously being singled out for denial of service here.

A simple solution presents itself: AMVETS should simply identify as antifa and reapply for the permit. Biden will pretend they don’t exist and no law enforcement agency in any blue city will be empowered by their Democrat politicians to stop the march. Easy peasy.

Sun Tzu wrote, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” Know him. Know how he thinks. Thwart him.

They should’ve done so as soon as Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election.

For almost a year the organizers of Rolling To Remember have been waiting for the Pentagon to sign off on a parking permit for a Memorial Day weekend event that will bring in thousands of veterans and their motorcycles to the District.

Two weeks ago, the 7News I-Team reported the U.S. Defense Department was holding up what seems to be a simple decision to allow or deny thousands of military veterans to use its parking lot for a staging area for Rolling To Remember.

It’s the same parking lot the huge event has been using for the past 32 years.

American traditions don’t matter to Biden’s administration or its woke generals. COVID is the catch-all they’ve used to keep church congregations separate, release thousands of criminals from prison, threaten to cancel America’s birthday, and now deny veterans who want to honor our war dead something as simple as a parking permit.

As a veteran, I never thought I’d come to suspect the Pentagon’s devotion to our nation. I literally never thought I’d see the day. But in just 100 days Biden has ushered in quite a bit of change. It’s all absolutely awful, but it’s change.

Prediction: The Pentagon will back down after blowback. But if that happens, no one should forget its initial decision. Denying veterans is Joe Biden and SecDef Lloyd Austin’s gut call. They want Rolling to Remember and anything else that celebrates America forgotten. Change my mind.

Video: DARPA Is Working On COVID Vaccine, Implantable Microchip To Detect Virus

Coronavirus- Interview with Dr. Francis A. Boyle

In this interview, Francis Boyle — whose background includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, a juris doctor (lawyer) degree from Harvard and a Ph.D. in political science — shares his theory of the origin of this novel coronavirus. • Francis Boyle, who for decades has advocated against the development and use of bioweapons, suspects COVID-19 is a weaponized pathogen that escaped from Wuhan City’s Biosafety Level 4 facility, which was specifically set up to research coronaviruses and SARS • According to Boyle, the COVID-19 virus is a chimera. It includes SARS, an already weaponized coronavirus, along with HIV genetic material and possibly flu virus. It also has gain of function properties that allow it to spread a greater distance than normal • The incubation period for COVID-19 infection is still unknown, but estimates range from 14 days to 30 days • The U.S. government spent $100 billion on biological warfare programs since September 11, 2011, up until October 2015 • While there have so far only been a limited number of reported cases of COVID-19 infection in the U.S., the U.S. military has designated several detention sites around the country to quarantine Americans, should the situation take a turn for the worse Read more → https://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...​ Dr. Francis A. Boyle Links: https://law.illinois.edu/faculty-rese...​ https://www.amazon.com/Biowarfare-Ter...​ https://www.claritypress.com/book-aut...

"You put it underneath your skin and what that tells you is that there are chemical reactions going on inside the body"

BY STEVE WATSON

SEE: https://www.infowars.com/posts/video-darpa-is-working-on-covid-vaccine-implantable-microchip-to-detect-virus/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a COVID vaccine that will work on all variants and has developed an implantable microchip that it says will continuously monitor the human body for signs of the virus.

Retired Colonel Matt Hepburn, an army infectious disease physician heading up DARPA’s response to the pandemic, appeared on 60 Minutes to demonstrate the technology.

Holding up a vial of green tissue-like gel, which contains the chip, Hepburn proclaimed “You put it underneath your skin and what that tells you is that there are chemical reactions going on inside the body, and that signal means you are going to have symptoms tomorrow.”

“It’s like a ‘check engine light,” Hepburn added, noting that those with the chip “would get the signal, then self-administer a blood draw and test themselves on site.”

“We can have that information in three to five minutes,” Hepburn continued, adding “As you truncate that time, as you diagnose and treat, what you do is you stop the infection in its tracks.”

Watch:

Hepburn also declared that DARPA has developed a filter to remove the virus from the blood via a dialysis machine and that the FDA has approved it, and it has already been used on 300 patients.

The 60 Minutes report also highlights how the pentagon has hundreds of tissue samples from soldiers and sailors infected with pathogens all over the world, including the 1918 Spanish Flu which killed millions globally.

Pentagon scientist Dr Kayvon Modjarrad also highlighted that the military is developing a one size fits all vaccine for COVID, commenting “This is not science fiction, this is science fact.”

“We have the tools, we have the technology, to do this all right now,” he said explaining that the goal is to inoculate people against potentially deadly viruses that have not even appeared yet.

“Killer viruses that we haven’t seen or even imagined, we’ll be protected against,” Modjarrad declared.

It was recently revealed that a third of active duty service members opted out of taking the COVID vaccine, with sources claiming the actual figure is probably closer to half.

The finding prompted the likes of TIME to declare that ‘vaccine hesitancy’ is threatening national security, and that while “These troops may not be co-opted by domestic terrorists, but they are clearly influenced by conspiracy theorists online and they just don’t trust basic science.”

The DARPA announcement of implantable microchip technology tied to the virus and a vaccine will likely only serve to enforce concerns the media continually describes as ‘conspiracy theories.’

Alex Jones reported on the DARPA developments last September:

 

 

Bioweapons policy expert Dr. Francis Boyle has also warned of forthcoming DARPA vaccine experiments, noting that it is a long-standing practice of the secretive agency:

 

Pentagon Promotes Radical Resources to Kill ‘Extremism’

BY FRED LUCAS

SEE: https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/04/06/exclusive-pentagon-promotes-radical-resources-to-kill-extremism-in-ranks;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The Defense Department is promoting reading resources on opposing “systemic racism” that include radical authors as part of a program to combat extremism within the ranks of the military.  

In a virtual meeting for “all hands” last month, the agenda—obtained by The Daily Signal—counted the scandal-plagued Southern Poverty Law Center as a credible resource alongside the Department of Homeland Security and the University of Maryland. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center is a left-wing activist group known for labeling organizations it opposes as “hate groups.”

Authors touted by the Pentagon include radical voices such as Ibram X. Kendi and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

The meeting agenda, titled “Policy ‘Stand Down’ Extremis” and marked “Virtual Policy All Hands,” unfolded from 9 to 10:30 a.m. March 22.

The meeting included a recorded message from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a former four-star Army general who was appointed by President Joe Biden and took office Jan. 22. 

Recommended resources for attendees also included several references to a video of a 1965 debate at Cambridge between influential conservative journalist William F. Buckley and acclaimed novelist-essayist James Baldwin, who wrote about the black experience growing up in Harlem. 

The Pentagon’s agenda suggests viewing the video and describes the debate as: “A stark contrast between the perspective of one person living a life subjected to racism and another person living a life privileged by racism.” 

Radical Reading List

A Pentagon spokeswoman told The Daily Signal late Tuesday that she would not have a specific response to this report before publication. 

At the end of the meeting agenda, the Defense Department clearly states that it isn’t endorsing every sentiment of the authors it suggests as resources: 

All views expressed by authors and speakers referenced here are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense or the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.

The book “The Fire Next Time,” comprised of two of Baldwin’s essays and originally published in 1963, is one of the Pentagon’s recommended resources for service members. 

The agenda for the Pentagon program recommends two books by Kendi, including “Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.” Amazon’s description of the book says: “Some Americans insist that we’re living in a post-racial society. But racist thought is not just alive and well in America—it is more sophisticated and more insidious than ever.”

The meeting agenda also includes Kendi’s more recent and well-known book “How to Be an Antiracist.” Amazon’s description says, “Racism intersects with class and culture and geography and even changes the way we see and value ourselves,” and adds that Kendi’s book “will help readers see all forms of racism clearly, understand their poisonous consequences, and work to oppose them in our systems and in ourselves.”

Kendi, director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, has pushed the “anti-racist” movement, which redefines racism as a matter of equity and stresses that “assimilationists” are on a par with segregationists.

Members of Congress raised objections in March to the Navy’s promotion of Kendi on reading lists, as well as other books. 

Reps. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., and Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., both members of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote to Adm. Michael M. Gilday, chief of naval operations, saying that Kendi’s writing suggests service members are fighting for a systemically racist country. 

The Navy has declined to remove any books from Gilday’s list of recommended reading. 

Targeting Violent Extremism

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a combat veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, proposed legislation to block the teaching of critical race theory in the military.

Critical race theory defines individuals as oppressed or oppressor based on skin color and views history and human interactions as a perpetual racial conflict.

The agenda for the March 22 meeting also recommends the 2015 book “Between the World and Me” by Coates, an advocate for paying blacks reparations for slavery in America. 

Amazon’s description says the book seeks to answer these questions: “What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?”

To be sure, the agenda of the Pentagon’s virtual meeting wasn’t limited to politics or assertions of “systemic racism.” It also refers to books and videos that address violent extremism, including the 2018 book “Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America” by Kathleen Belew and the 2020 book “Hate in the Homeland: The New Global Far Right” by Cynthia Miller-Idris.

Another listed resource is the 2020 book “Breaking Hate: Confronting the New Culture of Extremism” by Christian Picciolini, who was radicalized by white supremacists at age 14 and joined violent groups, but eventually found a way out. The agenda also recommends Picciolini’s TED Talk, titled “My Descent Into America’s Neo-Nazi Movement.”

Prohibited Activity

In response to questions, a Pentagon spokeswoman referred The Daily Signal to 2009 guidelines on what constitutes “prohibited activity” for enlisted service members.

“No commander should be indifferent to conduct that, if allowed to proceed unchecked, would destroy the effectiveness of his or her unit,” those guidelines note. 

The guidelines also call for commanders to approve “policies and procedures” developed by the secretaries of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other military departments “to implement this instruction.”

The Pentagon issued the guidelines after the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, an Army base in Texas.

The guidelines continue:

A commander may require prior approval of publications to be distributed on a military installation through other than official outlets to determine if the publication would: (a) Create a clear danger to the loyalty, discipline, or morale of military personnel; or (b) Materially interfere with the accomplishment of the military mission. … 

Commanders have the authority to place establishments off-limits in accordance with established procedures when, for example, the activities taking place at these establishments include, but are not limited to, counseling, encouraging, or inciting service members to refuse to perform duty  …

Military personnel must not actively advocate supremacist, extremist, or criminal gang doctrine, ideology, or causes, including those that advance, encourage, or advocate illegal discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, ethnicity, or national origin or those that advance, encourage, or advocate the use of force, violence, or criminal activity or otherwise advance efforts to deprive individuals of their civil rights. 

Scheduling ‘Stand-Down’

The Defense Department on Feb. 5 issued a public memo regarding “extremism in the ranks” that directed commanding officers at all levels to “select a date within the next 60 days to conduct a one-day ‘stand-down’ on this issue with their personnel.”

The memo came about one month after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, after which officials deployed National Guard troops to patrol a newly fenced perimeter around the building where Congress meets.

The memo says:

We will not tolerate actions that go against the fundamental principles of the oath we share, including actions associated with extremist or dissident ideologies. Service members, DoD civilian employees, and all those who support our mission, deserve an environment free of discrimination, hate, and harassment. It is incumbent upon each of us to ensure that actions associated with these corrosive behaviors are prevented.

The memo says military leaders have discretion in the discussion about addressing extremism in the ranks, but all should focus on the oath they take to serve the nation. 

“You should use this opportunity to listen as well to the concerns, experiences, and possible solutions that the men and women of the workforce may proffer in these stand-down sessions,” the memo says. 

‘Eliminate Extremist Behaviors’

The Navy conducted a separate PowerPoint presentation “that touched on “anti-government extremists” and “recent events,” former Justice Department lawyer J. Christian Adams reported in PJ Media last month after obtaining documents about the presentation.  

The Defense Department information obtained by Adams includes this statement:

If we don’t eliminate extremist behaviors from our Navy, then racism, injustice, indignity and disrespect will grow and keep us from reaching our potential—an inclusive, respectful, professional fighting force that answers the nation’s call. If we must first question the intentions of our shipmate standing the watch with us, now, and especially, when taking fire, we will fail when the nation needs us most in combat.

The documents obtained by Adams, president of Public Interest Legal Foundation, also recommend “do’s” and “don’ts” to Navy commanders when engaging personnel, including:

Do be alert to statements about Prohibited Behavior (Extremism in the Ranks) which rely on inaccurate or misleading assumptions, misperception or myth. Correct these inaccuracies in a resolute, respectful manner.  … Do Not allow only a few participants to dominate the conversation.

Steven Hall and Ken McIntyre contributed to this report. 

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we will consider publishing your remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature.

Pentagon Abolishes Trump’s “Transgender Ban”

BY Veronika Kyrylenko

SEE: https://thenewamerican.com/pentagon-abolishes-trumps-transgender-ban/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

On March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility, the Pentagon has announced new policies to abolish the Trump administration’s ban on transgender troops serving in the U.S. military, following a 60-day review initiated after President Biden signed an executive order repealing the ban shortly after he took office in January.

At a signing ceremony, Biden said the order reinstates “a position that the previous commanders and, as well, as the secretaries have supported…. What I’m doing is enabling all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform and essentially restoring the situation that used to be before, where transgender personnel — if qualified in every other way — can serve their government in the United States military.”

On Wednesday, the department announced it has updated two internal policies to make it easier for transgender individuals to join up and access medical treatment while serving. The policies, which go into effect on April 30, also protect transgender individuals from discrimination within the services. The revised policies also “provide a path of service for medical treatment, gender transition and recognition in one’s self-identified gender,” according to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby.

It is unclear how many transgender people serve in the military, though some advocacy groups assume it could be as high as 15,000 individuals. Stephanie Miller, the Pentagon’s military accession policy director, believes that the number of service members who self-identify as transgender could range from 1,000 to 8,000. She also notes that there are about 2,200 service members diagnosed with gender dysphoria and who are seeking gender-transition medical procedures. The Pentagon would fund and facilitate the procedures for each individual on a case-by-case basis. According to the Pentagon, the department spent about $8 million on transgender care from 2016 to 2019.

Normal or Ill?

The U.S. Department of Defense has a directive that provides a detailed list of the mental health conditions that prevent a person from being in the armed services. According to the Department of Defense, you’re disqualified from serving in the U.S. military if you have a current diagnosis or a history of most mental disorders. Undoubtedly, military service is highly demanding on a person’s physical, mental, and psychological state. If the nation entrusts someone with the crucial goal of providing security and defense, that person needs to be exceptionally fit. Thus, the strict requirements for the recruits. Are transgender people mentally fit to serve?

For a long time, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) defined being transgender — that is, experiencing “an incongruence between assigned sex (i.e., the sex recorded on one’s birth certificate) and gender identity”— as a “gender identity disorder.” In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5, released in 2013), the APA did away with the term “gender identity disorder,” and declared that such “incongruence” was not a “disorder.” However, “the distress that may accompany the incongruence” could be classified as a disorder, now renamed “gender dysphoria.” The new term was still unsatisfactory to trans activists, since “dysphoria,” as a profound sense of unease or dissatisfaction, still suggested a mental illness. Psychologists say that while dysphoria isn’t a mental health diagnosis on its own, it’s a symptom associated with a variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorder, etc. Indeed, it’s been found that people with so-called gender dysphoria have higher rates of other mental health conditions. Some estimates say that 71 percent of people with gender dysphoria will have some other mental health diagnosis in their lifetime. 

In 2019, following the APA and under pressure from the trans lobby, the World Health Organization (WHO) approved an update to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, which is known as the ICD-11 and is widely used in the United States. The WHO also dropped the term “gender identity disorder.” However, the new category that replaced it was “gender incongruence” — the very thing that was declared not to be a disorder in the DSM-5.

Those confusing manipulations with medical terms, definitions, and redefinitions allowed for the benefit of having a diagnosis without the “stigma” of having a “mental disorder.” New York psychiatrist Jack Drescher, who was involved in drafting both the DSM-5 and ICD-11 revisions, reveals the incentive behind the changes:

WHO, a United Nations agency, has a human rights mission, and there is substantial evidence that the stigma associated with the intersection of transgender status and mental disorders contributes to precarious legal status, human rights violations, and barriers to appropriate health care for this population.

It’s hard not to notice that Dr. Drescher sounds more like a politician than a psychiatrist, using terms such as “human rights,” “stigma,” and “legal status” that have nothing to do with an accurate diagnosis of a specific health condition. 

Society certainly should have compassion for people who genuinely feel discomfort with their biological sex and who may be going through a painful struggle. However, the direction in which society is moving raises concerns as to its sanity. We are eager to compromise our national defense; eager to mutilate confused people and even children who need psychiatric help, not the life-altering hormonal treatments and surgeries; willing to sacrifice their lives due to the high risk of suicide among trans people; and willing to change the language and scientific dialogue around the issue to the point of that burying any real solutions to the problem; all in the name of kindness, tolerance, and inclusivity. 

Read the Shocking Pentagon Training Materials Targeting Conservatives in the Military

BY J. CHRISTIAN ADAMS

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2021/03/22/read-the-pentagon-training-materials-targeting-conservatives-in-the-military-n1434071;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

I have obtained a copy of all the materials regarding the sudden new threat of “Extremism” used for training in the United States military. Throughout the services, service members have been shocked at the Biden blitz to root out ideas and people who stand in the way of the administration’s transformative agenda.

One individual in the training told me, “The military is one of the last institutions left that hasn’t been radicalized by the progressives. That’s why it is being targeted now.”

All personnel are being subjected to a PowerPoint presentation packed with progressive ideology and misstatements of the Constitution. Designated officers are conducting the training on bases, stations, and ships at sea. The slides contain misstatements of the law and warped characterizations of fellow citizens who believe in constitutional principles.

The document crafted by the Pentagon for the Navy is called “Extremism Stand Down – Commander Engagements With All Service Members. Discussion Guide 19FEB21.” I have obtained both the slides shown to service members and the training guide for the officers presenting the training.

“Extremism in the Ranks” is a capitalized proper noun in the document.

“The Navy’s leadership plays a significant role in preventing Extremism in the Ranks, particularly in the creation and sustainment of command climates which discourage and hold accountable such behavior and promote a culture of respect, trust and professionalism in the Force.”

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

And if there was any doubt, the presentation makes it clear the armed forces are to be integrated into the Biden administration’s racialist agenda. “If we don’t eliminate extremist behaviors from our Navy, then racism, injustice, indignity and disrespect will grow and keep us from reaching our potential.” The materials do not cite a single instance of racism, injustice, indignity, or disrespect. Those are left to the imagination.

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

The scripted training tells officers what precisely to say and forces all participants to watch a video featuring the Secretary of Defense.

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.
Biden SecDef Issues Military-Wide Stand-Down Order to Fight ‘Extremism’

“Note, if video cannot be shown during stand down, a link must be provided to All-Hands for viewing video in advance of training.”

The “Dos and Don’ts of Facilitation” ensure that dissent will not be welcomed. “Do be alert to statements about Prohibited Behavior (Extremism in the Ranks) which [sic] rely on inaccurate or misleading assumptions, misperception or myth. … Do Not allow only a few participants to dominate the conversation.”

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

After all, one or two officers familiar with the actual words in the Constitution or the principles that animated the nation’s founding might spoil the show.

What might that myth or prohibited behavior be? The Pentagon provides helpful talking points for officers forced to do the training. “Anti-government extremists” are the focus, as proven by “recent events.”

In other words, Trump supporters. Political foes of the administration.

Service members have a “duty to reject” these ideas. And if you don’t, “the full range of administrative and disciplinary actions” await, including being discharged.

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.
Biden DHS Issues Domestic Terror Alert Warning of ‘Objections’ to ‘Governmental Authority’

The training materials then incorrectly detail other prohibited activity.

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

“Speech that incites violence or criminal activity that threatens to undermine our government and Constitution is not protected by the First Amendment.”

Actually, it is. Secretary of Defense Austin is flat wrong. Speech cannot incite criminal activity. The closest one can get to this idea is a criminal conspiracy. But even a conspiracy requires an act and speech standing alone cannot be criminal.

Worse still, speech that “threatens to undermine our government” is completely protected by the First Amendment. The Pentagon’s grotesque characterization of the law is borrowed from the criminal codes of dictatorships.

In fact, the First Amendment would allow a person to stand in the town square and over and over again give a speech undermining the government. The whole concept of “undermining” is the flimsy legal standard that sent millions to the Gulags and guillotine. Shame on you, Secretary Austin, for not knowing that’s what makes America different.

Naturally, all the villains in the hypotheticals in the materials are neo-Nazis, right-wing extremists or domestic terrorists. No mention is made of the hyper-funded effort by the Chinese communists to infiltrate and turn service members.

Nor is one single mention of ANTIFA activities to be found in the document despite ongoing acts of violence from that group for almost a year. What’s that matter when you want Justice?

EXCLUSIVE: Biden Admin Halts Navy Operations, Orders Sailors to Undergo ‘Chilling’ Stand-Down Training

The materials make sure to leave room for sharing. “Has anyone witnessed a Supremacist or Extremist Activity while serving in the Navy? How did it make you feel? (Allow time for open sharing if sailor /DON Civilian is willing.” Once upon a time the Navy was full of veterans of Bataan, Okinawa, and prison camps across Japan. Boy, would they have tales to tell.

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

The materials are careful to list those activities that servicemembers can enjoy that are constitutional rights, with a catch. In detailing them, such as “registering to vote” and “Signing petitions,” the Pentagon warns service members that “expressing personal opinions” or “a personal social media posting” comes with a big red “CAUTION.”

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

When it comes to social media, the Pentagon brass really don’t want people to exercise their rights. A whole section is devoted to banning behavior such as “liking any material that promotes discrimination based on … gender identity.” In other words, if you believe in biological sex, you might be involuntarily separated or court-martialed. Never mind that Congress has never passed any such law.

The slides used to accompany the presentation are full of legal errors. Again, the Fourteenth Amendment says nothing about biological males who consider themselves to be women, yet the training says otherwise.

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

If you are in the military and enduring this politicized training, be assured the materials are imaginary bunk. It is a part of a radicalized political agenda to undermine the basic principles of the nation – equality before law regardless of race, and treating people impartially in tribunals or day-to-day affairs. This politicization is aimed at your ability to be promoted unless you toe the line, but you already knew that. It is designed to create a more politicized military culture where adherence to prevailing political ideology is more important than performance. It is the sort of rotten behavior that permeated other militaries in other ages.

Pentagon military training materials.
Pentagon military training materials.

But the United States military has been the model of professionalism, competence, and impartiality for centuries – a model which the Biden administration and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin seek to undermine and replace. Your allegiance is to the nation and the Constitution. Go through the motions of watching these ridiculous politicized videos, but stay true to what brought you to the military in the first place.

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Biden’s handlers’ Pentagon pick is anti-Israel ‘ideologue,’ ‘only policy shop he’s qualified to run is in Tehran’

BY ROBERT SPENCER

SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2021/03/bidens-handlers-pentagon-pick-is-anti-israel-ideologue-only-policy-shop-hes-qualified-to-run-is-in-tehran;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Biden’s handlers are going all-in on reimposing the Obama policy of betraying our allies and aiding our enemies.

“Veterans in Congress Speak Out Against Biden Defense Pick Colin Kahl,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, March 19, 2021:

Military veterans serving on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees are urging their colleagues in the Senate to oppose President Joe Biden’s Pentagon nominee Colin Kahl, telling the Washington Free Beacon that Kahl is a pro-Iran “ideologue” and that “the only policy shop he’s qualified to run is in Tehran.”

The congressmen are speaking out as Kahl’s nomination for undersecretary of defense for policy has stalled with the Senate Armed Services Committee—Democratic senator Joe Manchin (W.Va.) remains undecided on the pick. Republican senators have already come out strongly against Kahl, citing his Twitter rants against the GOP and pro-Israel hawks, as well as his support for anti-Israel policies and the Iran nuclear deal. Vocal opposition from war veterans in Congress is likely to get the attention of key senators as Kahl’s nomination comes closer to a vote.

Kahl is “an ideologue who has personally attacked several Republican politicians,” Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.), a Navy Reserve lieutenant and member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Free Beacon this week.

“The last thing the Pentagon needs is another hyper-partisan,” said Banks. “And Kahl has repeatedly drawn moral equivalencies between Iran, the number one state sponsor of terror, and our allies. The Pentagon is there to protect all Americans, and its leadership should reflect the values and beliefs of all Americans. Colin Kahl is way out of step.”

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R., Texas), a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral who served as a White House physician for Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, noted Kahl’s involvement in crafting the Iran nuclear deal and said it would be “irresponsible to confirm a chief architect of this defective deal to run what is supposed to be a nonpartisan policy shop at the Department of Defense.”

“Colin Kahl famously said that Iran would use our taxpayer money to buy ‘butter, not guns,’ when in fact Iran used our money to buy missiles and bombs and to support terrorist proxies and militias like Hamas, Hezbollah, and al Qaeda,” said Jackson. “The only policy shop he’s qualified to run is in Tehran.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee member Rep. Joe Wilson (R., S.C.), a retired Army National Guard colonel, called Kahl “a dangerous pick for our national security.”

“On Iran, he opposed bipartisan bills proposing sanctions for the past decade, and he opposed the bipartisan designation of the [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], a group with American blood on their hands, as a terrorist organization,” said Wilson, who also pointed out Kahl’s opposition to the airstrike that killed IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani.

“We must not forget about the hundreds of American soldiers that were killed by the IRGC and their militias in Iraq by IEDs. Their families continue to suffer,” Wilson said. “There are a number of capable, competent, and mainstream Democrats in foreign policy, but Colin Kahl is not one of them.”

Rep. Greg Steube (R., Fla.), an Army veteran who also sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Kahl has “a grave misunderstanding of Iran’s capabilities and consistent endorsement of terrorism” and called the nomination “unacceptable.”…

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R., Wis.) said he opposes Kahl because his nomination signals the Biden administration’s plans to continue the Obama-era policy on Iran.

“[President Obama’s] policy made America unsafe and was a radical departure from the policy of every one of Obama’s predecessors since Jimmy Carter,” said Gallagher, a retired Marine officer. “I feel it is my responsibility to oppose nominations of officials in the Biden administration whose intention is to normalize the abnormality that was Obama’s policy.”

Rep. Michael Waltz (R., Fla.), a combat-decorated veteran who also worked in the Pentagon’s policy-making department, said Kahl’s efforts to secure sanctions relief for Iran as part of the original nuclear agreement endangered American forces operating in the region….

Pentagon: AIRCRAFT CARRIER Nimitz Staying in Middle East After Threats to Trump, Officials

uss nimitz crosses arabian sea

ABOVE: The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz transits the Arabian Sea on Sept. 7, 2020.

BY SANDY FITZGERALD

SEE: https://www.newsmax.com/politics/pentagon-nimitz-trump-iran/2021/01/04/id/1004093/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The Pentagon has ordered the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Nimitz to stay in the Middle East because of threats from Tehran against President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials in an order three days after the warship was sent home in an effort to de-escalate tensions that had been growing with Iran. 

Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller on Sunday ordered the ship's routine redeployment halted, issuing a short statement that said the ship will "remain on station in the U.S. Central Command area of operations. No one should doubt the resolve of the United States of America," reports The New York Times.

The ship had been ordered redeployed to its homeport in Bremerton, Wash., after its 10-month deployment. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week, in a speech to his Islamic nation's cabinet, declared Trump would be dead "in a few days" as the first anniversary of the death of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, approached. Suleimani was killed in a U.S.-ordered drone strike. 

Intelligence agencies have assessed for months that Iran wants to target senior American military officers and civilian leaders to avenge Soleimani's death. 

Trump administration officials suggested Sunday that with the week in politics looming that includes the Senate runoff race in Georgia Tuesday and the meeting of the House and Senate on Wednesday to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win, the optics of the Nimitz leaving the Middle East was not suitable for the White House, the Times reported. 

Trump threatened Iran on Twitter just before Christmas, and top national security aides in November talked him out of launching a pre-emptive strike against a nuclear site in Iran.

In recent weeks, the Pentagon's Central Command has made several public shows of force to warn Iran about attacks on U.S. troops and diplomats, including using the Nimitz with other warships for air cover for troops pulling out of Iraq, Somalia, and Afghanistan. 

The Air Force has also dispatched B-52 bombers to fly near Iran's coast and the Navy announced that it has ordered a submarine with cruise missiles, for the first time in 10 years, into the Persian Gulf. 

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Pentagon HALTS Biden Transition Briefings as Patriot Militias Are INFILTRATING Government!!!

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The Pentagon HALTS Biden Transition Briefings as Patriot Militias Are indeed INFILTRATING Government at all levels! In this video, we’re going to take a look at the shocking announcement that the Pentagon is keeping Biden out of military briefings, how members of the Oath Keepers are winning elections and holding office across the country, and how a new political alliance is forming that promises to make America more conservative than ever, you are NOT going to want to miss this!

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‘Unprecedented’: Pentagon Cuts Support to CIA Counterterrorism Ops

Twitter users claim Trump moving to dismantle the agency and 'finish what JFK started.'

President John F. Kennedy reportedly said he’d like to 'splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.'

SEE: https://www.infowars.com/posts/unprecedented-pentagon-cuts-support-to-cia-counterterrorism-ops/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The Pentagon announced Thursday it would cut support to most CIA counterterrorism operations throughout the globe, in an action described by MSM as a “surprising move.”

Reports claim Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller sent a letter to CIA Director Gina Haspel Wednesday informing her the Department of Defense would be reviewing its military support of the clandestine agency.

Defense One reported Wednesday citing anonymous sources that DOD was reviewing whether military personnel assigned as “detail” to counterterrorism operators should instead be aiding efforts in near-peer nation states like Russia, or China.

Defense One notes the move was set in motion by “Trump loyalist” Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who was appointed to the position last month by President Trump two days after Election Day.

ABC News reports CIA counterterrorism operators frequently rely on US military for support in their operations:

The CIA’s Special Activities Center carries out covert operations and has its own paramilitary force that carries out counterterrorism operations. While they act as an independent force, they often rely on the military for transportation and logistical support.

Sometimes that means that military personnel end up being detailed to support the CIA’s counterterrorism operations.

While DOD spokesperson Lt. Col. Uriah Orland notes the move is an effort for the Defense Dept. “to better align its allocation of resources with the 2018 National Defense Strategy’s shift to great power competition” such as Russia and China, an anonymous former intelligence official told ABC the action was “surprising and unprecedented.”

Retired CIA officer and ABC News contributor Mick Mulroy also lamented “the end of a very strong and effective relationship between the CIA and the Defense Department.”

“A relationship that has resulted in countless successes in the last 20 years, especially in the area of counterterrorism such as the Bin Laden and al-Baghdadi operations, but also in many that will remain unknown,” Mulroy claimed.

On Twitter, the CIA slap down was widely interpreted as President Donald Trump moving to dismantle the agency and “finish what JFK started.”

After the bungled Bay of Pigs invasion, President John F. Kennedy reportedly soured on the agency, saying he’d like to “splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds.”

The announcement also coincides with a successful Middle East peace deal signed between Israel and Morocco, facilitated in large part by the Trump administration.

The USA Is Run By Gaslighting Lunatics

 

VACCINE DISTRIBUTION WILL BE “JOINT VENTURE” BETWEEN CDC & PENTAGON

CDC Building

The plan breaks with the longstanding precedent that CDC distributes vaccines during major outbreaks through a centralized ordering system.

BY SARAH OWERMOHLE

SEE: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/30/coronavirus-vaccine-distribution-388904;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Nationwide distribution of any coronavirus vaccine will be a “joint venture” between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which typically oversees vaccine allocation, and the Department of Defense, a senior administration official said today.

The Department of Defense “is handling all the logistics of getting the vaccines to the right place, at the right time, in the right condition,” the official said in a call with reporters, adding that CDC will remain in charge of tracking any side effects that emerge post-vaccination and “some of the communications through the state relationships [and] the state public health organizations.”

The plan breaks with the longstanding precedent that CDC distributes vaccines during major outbreaks — such as bad flu seasons — through a centralized ordering system for state and local health officials.

“We believe we’ve actually combined the best of both,” the official said. A second senior administration official stressed the agencies would be working as “one team” to distribute hundreds of millions of doses if any of the vaccines in development are approved in the coming months.

Private companies are also likely to join the effort. The first official said the government is bringing in people to integrate CDC IT capabilities with “some new applications that we’re going to need that the CDC never had.”

The background: The Pentagon will be guiding not just distribution logistics but also manufacturing and “kitting,” the process of safely packaging a vaccine with its necessary equipment such as syringes and needles.

“The DoD is handling all of those logistics — that is where their comparative advantage is,” said the first senior official. “And the CDC, some of their IT systems, relationships with the states following post-vaccination will belong to them.”

Pentagon chief spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman told reporters earlier in the day that distribution would be “a collaborative process” between the private sector and the military.

Operation Warp Speed, the government's coronavirus vaccine and drug accelerator, is examining “how do we take advantage of the commercial capability of the private sector to handle things like distribution, and where will either DoD step in to help manage that process, or if necessary, will DoD be required to step in and actually physically deliver items itself,” Hoffman said.

The debate: The comments come just one day after McClatchy reported that neither the White House nor Warp Speed officials had formally asked the Pentagon to help with vaccine distribution. While the White House said Defense is ready to assist, an HHS official told McClatchy Wednesday that their involvement would be the exception, not the norm.

The state and local officials also questioned whether military involvement in vaccine administration would undermine already shaky public confidence in vaccines.

What’s next: Senior health officials told reporters that they are in constant discussion about first-priority populations for receiving possible coronavirus vaccines, including the elderly and medically vulnerable, but that those plans will depend on which candidates are ready first.

Two vaccines entered the final stage of human trials this month and several more are readying for the sweeping phase three stage. Results are expected later this year or early 2021. In the meantime, an expert committee has been convened by the National Academies of Science to discuss a distribution framework.

Lara Seligman and Rachel Roubein contributed to this report.
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