Gen. Mark Milley defends a military interest in critical race theory

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley defended critical race theory, particularly as it pertains to the military, in front of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

In response to a question from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) asking how the Defense Department should think about critical race theory, Milley said he does think "it's important, actually, for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read." The United States Military Academy is a university, he added, and in order to understand what led to January's Capitol riot, for example, leaders should be as open to analyzing "white rage" as Milley said he is.

America's "soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and guardians" come from the American public, Milley continued, and military leaders should understand the population they serve. "I've read Karl Marx, I've read Lenin — that doesn't make me a communist," he said. "So what is wrong ... with having some situational understanding about the country for which we are here to defend?"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Furthermore, Milley said he finds it "offensive" that any military interest in studying and understanding such theories to better protect the American people would be pejoratively labeled as "woke."

Watch Milley's full comments below: