[ad_1]
The Architects of the Awakening of America’s Military (Full Series)
Military Awakening Complex | Common Defense
Vet for the People | Serving Women Action Network
common defense
The Biden administration has done its part to promote the military as warriors for “climate justice.” The President once told a group of American pilots stationed in the United Kingdom that the Joint Chiefs of Staff determined that the greatest threat facing the United States was global warming:
You know what the Joint Chiefs of Staff tell us is the greatest threat facing the United States? global warming. Because in Indonesia, there will be massive population movements, battles for land, millions of people leaving places because these places are actually sinking into the sea; because there is no longer a fight for farmland.
Even then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley (who was no enemy of the awakening) was quick to amend. Milley did not directly contradict his commander in chief, but he asserted on the same day as Biden’s global warming gaffe that China and Russia posed the greatest global threats to the United States.
Still, at the end of his first year in office, Biden has ordered the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to transition to non-polluting power generation by 2035. In 2023, the Pentagon spent $3 billion to address climate change.
The Biden administration is technically correct in claiming that veterans are calling for a comprehensive focus on climate issues and that the administration won’t just rely on traditional green groups to implement these policies. But in this case, it’s talking about a small group of veterans represented by the left-wing nonprofit Common Defense Network.
In 2022, the Common Defense Education Fund joined Critical Defense Civic Engagement to launch the Climate Justice Veterans Initiative. The initiative says its mission is to lead campaigns on environmental issues, build political will for action and pressure elected officials to transition to a green energy economy. The Common Defense Education Fund is part of the Common Defense Nonprofit Network, which began as an anti-Donald Trump organization and has since evolved into an overarching military policy organization.
Common Defense was founded in 2016 as a veterans anti-Trump movement to oppose the policies of then-presidential candidate Trump. The group claims that the right has “absorbed” patriotic ideals. The group originated as organizers of a large veterans rally held outside Trump Tower in New York City in 2016. Rally organizers continued as a group, incorporating in 2019 and receiving tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service in 2022.
The network of organizations includes the Common Defense Educational Fund, 501(c)(3), which says it is used for “training and organizing”; Common Defense Civic Engagement, 501(c)(4), which says it is “used for issue-based and election-based advocacy”; the Common Defense Action Fund, a political action committee “for lobbying and electoral support.”
The organization’s website states:
Founded in 2016, Common Defense is the largest grassroots organization of American veterans in the United States and the only organization that invests in the leadership of its members through training and deployment in activities directly related to their service history, including voting rights, climate justice, and anti- militarism.
The Common Defense Network lists its priorities as lobbying and advocating for legislative bills and issues and “supporting progressive candidates.” The organization trains center-left veterans to participate in get-out-the-vote efforts. Mutual Defense also promotes social justice issues such as critical race theory in military training and opposes so-called “forever wars.”
The network has made some progress toward the military’s goal of being more “equitable.” Following a Freedom of Information Act request, Judicial Watch found that training materials at West Point now teach about “whiteness.” One of the teaching slides said: “In order to understand racial inequality and slavery, it is first necessary to address the problem of whiteness.”
Members of Congress were given course materials from West Point that included a lecture titled “Understanding Whiteness and White Rage” and slides labeled “White Power at West Point.” When asked about these issues at a congressional hearing, Milley defended the awakening curriculum. “I wanted to understand the anger of white people, and I’m white,” Milley said. “I’ve read Mao Zedong. I’ve read Karl Marx. I’ve read Lenin. That doesn’t make me a communist.”
After its formation, Common Defense, although it expanded its advocacy scope, still sought to counter Trump and strongly advocated impeachment of the 45th president in 2019. Ahead of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, Common Defense asked candidates to sign a pledge to end “forever wars.” Seven Democratic candidates signed the pledge and it was included in the party platform at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. This marked a major victory and proved that the organization can play to its strengths.
The Common Defense Education Fund runs the Veterans Organizing Institute, which supports center-left veteran leadership development, building a network of “highly diverse veterans with sophisticated political analysis and practical organizing skills, can play an important role in reshaping the country’s image.” The long-term political landscape of the United States. ” The institute also said it hopes to create training opportunities for “all veterans,” particularly those representing directly impacted communities, including women, people of color, Indigenous people, Muslims, LGBTQ+ and veterans with disabilities.
Donors to the Common Defense Network include the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the David Rockefeller Foundation ($27,500 for climate advocacy) and the Nonviolence Foundation ($20,000 to support the Veterans Organizing Institute). The Ford Foundation, a major funder of center-left causes, has awarded a $100,000 grant to the Common Defense Education Fund to organize a multiracial, multigenerational and inclusive movement to engage veterans in advocating for “healthy and participatory democracy”. “
Common Defense Civic Engagement, a 501(c)(4), had revenue of $2.9 million and expenses of $2.7 million in 2021. One of the lobbying arm’s largest funders is the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a direct conduit to Arabella’s network of advisers. Donated $1.06 million to Common Defense Civic Engagement, accounting for almost half of the organization’s revenue. It has also received donations from major left-wing funders such as the Tides Foundation, the George Soros-linked Open Society Policy Center, the Clinton-aligned group Progress Together, Need for Impeachment, the group aligned with Arabella of the Northern Foundation and Communications Organization. American workers.
Jose Vasques is executive director of Common Defense. Vasquez, a 15-year Army veteran who was honorably discharged in 2007, previously served as director of Veterans Against the War in Iraq and was a member of the steering committee of United for Peace and Justice.
Citizen Engagement for Common Defense’s board of directors includes several left-wing activists, including screenwriter Billy Ray; human rights attorney Qasim Rashid; Shailly Gupta Barnes, policy director of the Poor People’s Campaign; and Jeff Blum, former executive director of American Action , founder of Pennsylvania Citizen Action; Jeff Quiggle is a supporter of Texas Democratic politician Beto O’Rourke and co-founder of the “Beto Veterans” organization people.
In the next section, many organizations will advocate for LGBTQ policies in the military.
[ad_2]
Source link