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General Mark Milley slammed for defending military's adoption of critical race theory

Mark Milley addressed a House Armed Services Committee hearing and responded to criticism by Republican lawmakers about the military’s adoption of CRT

General Mark Milley sparked an uproar on social media following his defense of studying critical race theory, with some calling it a "disastrous day for the Armed Forces of the United States."

Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is the highest-ranking officer in the US military. On Wednesday, June 23, he addressed a House Armed Services Committee hearing and responded to criticism by Republican lawmakers that the military’s adoption of the theory has made it too “woke."

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Milley told Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who had earlier pressed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on CRT, that he believed military personnel should "be widely read." "I want to understand white rage and I'm White, and I want to understand it. So what is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the constitution of the United States of America? What caused that? I want to find that out," he said.

"I've read Mao Tse-tung. I've read Karl Marx. I've read Lenin. That doesn't make me a Communist. So what is wrong with understanding — having some situational understanding about the country for which we are here to defend?" Milley continued. "And I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, non-commissioned officers of being 'woke' or something else because we're studying some theories out there."

Gaetz was captured shaking his head as Milley defended the academic movement.

"We do not teach critical race theory. We don't embrace critical race theory, and I think that's a spurious conversation," Austin added, dismissing similar concerns raised by the Florida Republican. "We are focused on extremist behaviors and not ideology — not people's thoughts, not people's political orientation. Behavior is what we're focused on."

Social media users, however, slammed Milley's defense of the controversial theory, with one commenting that "our military is totally gone." "'I want to understand white rage, and I'm white.' Gen Mark Milley, CJCS Spouting one of the racist elements of CRT opening. When did @thejointstaff decide to implement the fundamental organizing principle of the KKK as DoD policy?" former US Army lieutenant colonel Tony Schaffer tweeted.

"White rage didn't burn down, and loot Portland, Philly, NYC, Minneapolis, Baltimore, et al. Democrats and their Commie thugs AntiFa and BLM did," one Twitter user reacted. "What the hell is #WhiteRage Hey Mark Milley@thejointstaff nobody is hating on our military's Officers, NCOs, or Enlisted.... just you for being out of touch and #woke," another wrote.

"After watching General Milley and Lloyd Austin testimonies today, our military is totally gone," one comment read. "A disastrous day for the Armed Forces of the United States! If President Trump runs & wins again the first order of business is to put warriors back in these positions not those on the backside of careers looking out! Milley reminded me of Retired On Active Duty (ROAD)," another user added.