This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The Army's long-standing training aimed at discouraging personnel from discriminating against people based on their race and sex is, in the age of wokism during the Biden-Harris administration, now morphing into a new and bizarre anti-discrimination paradigm reflecting an extreme leftist – and fundamentally anti-Christian – ideology.
Justin Williamson, a career Army officer who emphasized that his views do not reflect those of the Department of Defense or Department or the Army, spoke frankly to WorldNetDaily about this new development. Because of concern over possible reprisals, Williamson agreed to an interview using a pseudonym.
"The Army conducts a mandatory annual briefing on racism and sexual harassment," he told WND. Having attended many such briefings over his long military service, Williamson has enforced these traditional policies in occasional instances of racism or sexual harassment.
Up until the current era, Williamson said, "they were all very standard and straightforward, sharing the commonly accepted view that no one should be treated disrespectfully because of the color of their skin, for example. … If a soldier did something demeaning or offensive, he knew it would not be tolerated." For Williamson, "this is the correct atmosphere that's worth enforcing, one that treats people decently regardless of the color of their skin."
But during the Biden-Harris administration, the Army's Equal Opportunity (EO) and Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) training has taken a disturbing turn, he said, characterizing it as "extremely partisan."
For example, Williamson disclosed, "In the last SHARP briefing that I attended, an Army NCO (non-commissioned officer) said that if a person who is transgender or homosexual hears somebody object from a religious basis to their lifestyle, it would be considered a [sexual harassment] violation."
The NCO also said, "You'll hear in a lot of places in the U.S., especially the south, that people will say their religion prohibits [transgenderism and homosexuality]." Shockingly, if a soldier expresses this traditional biblical morality publicly, Williamson said, "they'll be in violation of Army policy and against Army values."
For such a violation, he said, a service member "could get a poor evaluation and reprimand at the very least." Considering the subjective nature of the evaluation, he argued that "you could be considered a bad character – a deathblow to a career."
Corroborating Williamson's disturbing analysis is former U.S. Army public affairs officer Dr. Chase Spears, who sees these recent developments as part of a deliberate effort to ideologically influence U.S. troops through training.
"All military training theoretically exists to enhance fighting readiness," he told WND. "Training is supposed to be ideologically neutral."
"How your rifle shoots or tank runs are matters entirely set apart from your politics," Spears continued. "Activists target these supposed 'apolitical' venues to weave progressive ideologies into military culture, [and] when you call them on it, they hide behind the notion that their partisan briefings are merely part of readiness training."
Spears noted that the Army's use of SHARP and EO trainings for partisan purposes may be eclipsed by the service's highly controversial new policy on extremism.
"Under the rule of law," he said, "you have a right to face your accuser and face due process." However, under the Army's new extremism policy, he said, "commanders are pushed to presume guilt based on a single accusation."
What counts for extremism under these new policies?
Spears suggested, "According to a speech given by President and Commander in Chief Joe Biden in Philadelphia on Sept. 1, 2022, anyone who holds to a traditional sexual ethic, or who has a moral objection to abortion, or who simply voted for Donald Trump fits the category of an extremist."
"If you fit any of those criteria and are in the military today," Spears argued, "you know to keep your head down and mouth shut if you want to preserve your career."
For both Spears and Williamson, the Army's efforts amount to "a steady purge of Christian conservatives from America's military ranks."
