Pentagon Criticized for Wrong Priorities Amid China Threat

Rep. Waltz questions Defense Department for focus on 'extremists' in its own ranks while China continues to expand its military

Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin visits National Guard troops deployed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 29, 2021. Manuel Balce Ceneta-Pool/Getty Images

A Defense Department order on Feb. 5 to root out “extremists” in the ranks of the U.S. armed forces has drawn fire from the first Green Beret to serve in Congress, and senior officers from prior administrations agree with his concerns.

“When the Chinese Navy is five times bigger than ours, when China is stealing our tech right and left, and putting more assets in space, where does the Secretary of Defense see our priorities?” Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) told The Epoch Times. “My concern is the message this memo sends.”