Pentagon pushes back at GOP lawmakers over critical race theory claims

Sen. Tom Cotton on Wednesday said that Lynne Chandler Garcia, based on her op-ed, has “no business” teaching the Constitution or political science to Air Force cadets, and called on her to start looking for a new job. | Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

The Pentagon is defending comments made by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin after GOP lawmakers claimed the military chief misrepresented the department’s stance on the teaching of critical race theory.

On Wednesday, an Air Force Academy professor wrote an op-ed in defense of discussing the subject with cadets, which prompted the lawmakers to criticize Austin, who said last month that the military does not teach critical race theory.

In a Wednesday Washington Post op-ed, Lynne Chandler Garcia, an associate professor of political science at the Air Force Academy, defended the teaching of critical race theory at the nation’s military schools, writing that she herself teaches it to cadets because it is “vital” that future military leaders understand the history of racism and how it has shaped the country.

“Cadets, like all military members, take an oath to defend the Constitution with their lives — so it is crucial they have a sensitive understanding of that Constitution,” Garcia wrote.

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Source: Politico Washington Post (Op-Ed)