Fox News host Tucker Carlson took flak from the Pentagon on Thursday for warning that the military worries too much about gender and diversity in the armed forces while China increasingly asserts its dominance in the world.
John Kirby, the press secretary for the Department of Defense, accused Carlson of “[using] his show to denigrate the contributions of women in the military and to say the Chinese military is catching up to the U.S. military because it does not allow women to serve in the percentage the United States does,” according to a story from DoD News, titled “Press Secretary Smites Fox Host That Dissed Diversity in U.S. Military.”
Carlson warned earlier this week that while U.S. citizens stay in their homes on the advice of Dr. Anthony Fauci, China is working to make their society more masculine on the recommendation of a top adviser who warned that Chinese boys are being “spoiled by housewives and female teachers.”
Carlson went on to contrast the Chinese military, which has recently assembled the largest naval force in the world, with the military of the U.S., which is preoccupied with “new hairstyles and maternity flight suits.”
“Pregnant women are going to fight our wars,” Carlson said. “It’s a mockery of the U.S. military.”
“The bottom line is, it’s out of control, and the Pentagon’s going along with this,” he added.
WATCH:
Tucker Carlson Segment From A Few Nights Back That The Left Is Whining About Today: Joe Biden Is Making A Mockery Of The United States Military
Tucker Discusses How China Is Focusing On Cultivating Masculinity In Their Military While The U.S. Military Embraces Woke Politics. pic.twitter.com/Pi9O6C7tOF
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) March 11, 2021
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and service members reportedly felt “revulsion” toward Carlson’s monologue, Kirby said.
“We are better and more effective, not only when we represent the American people, all the American people, but also when we have the morals to include other perspectives and ideas,” Kirby continued. “A major and specific contributor to that advantage are the women who serve, civilian and military alike.”
“I would hope that in the reaction he’s seeing, and hopefully in our reaction here today, that he’ll realize the mistake he made and express some regret about the manner in which he’s demeaned the entire U.S. military and how we defend and how we serve this country,” Kirby added.
DoD News continued:
No job in the military is barred to women, the press secretary noted. They fly jets, fight in infantry squads, drive tanks, command warships and soon to lead combatant commands — President Joe Biden has nominated Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost to command U.S. Transportation Command and Army Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson to command U.S. Southern Command.
“To be sure, we still have a lot of work to do to make our military more inclusive, more respectful of everyone, especially women,” Kirby said.
There is a lack of women at senior ranks, Kirby said. “We pledge to do better, and we will,” he said. “What we absolutely won’t do is take personnel advice from a talk show host or the Chinese military. Maybe those folks feel like they have something to prove — that’s on them. We know we’re the greatest military in the world today and even for all the things we need to improve, we know exactly why that’s so.”
Carlson teased his pending response in a tweet, writing, “This afternoon, the Department of Defense issued a press release attacking this show: ‘Press secretary smites Fox Host.’ Like we’re a hostile foreign power. Remarkable. We’ll respond at 8pm ET[.]”
This afternoon, the Department of Defense issued a press release attacking this show: “Press secretary smites Fox Host.” Like we’re a hostile foreign power. Remarkable. We’ll respond at 8pm ET on #FoxNews
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 11, 2021