The Pentagon and senior military leaders are firing back at Fox host Tucker Carlson for his derisive comments about women serving in the military.
Carlson mocked President Joe Biden for touting recent efforts to accommodate women in the military, including designing maternity flight suits, allowing for a wider range of hairstyles, and creating uniforms to fit women properly. Biden’s remarks came at an event where he celebrated the promotion of two “outstanding and eminently qualified warriors and patriots” to serve in top posts as 4-star Combatant Commanders on International Women’s Day.
“So we’ve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits,” Carlson said. “Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the U.S. military.”
Senior military leaders and veterans did not hold back from their criticism of Carlson’s remarks.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told reporters he is proud of the 185,000 women who "serve with distinction every day" and said "it’s insulting to those women to have a comment like that."
“Women lead our most lethal units with character,” Sergeant Major of the Army, Michael A. Grinston wrote on Twitter, saying that Carlson’s “words are divisive, don't reflect our values. We have THE MOST professional, educated, agile, and strongest NCO Corps in the world.”
Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott H. Stalker, the senior enlisted leader of US Space Command, called Carlson’s show “drama TV” in a video posted to Twitter, adding: “Let's remember those opinions were made by an individual who has never served a day in his life.”
Gen. Paul Funk wrote on Twitter that “Thousands of women serve honorably every day around the globe. They are beacons of freedom and they prove Carlson wrong through determination and dedication. We are fortunate they serve with us.”
Lt. Gen Ted Martin, Gen. Funk’s deputy, posted photos of his daughter and niece, both members of the Armed Forces: “Contrary to what you may be hearing this WOMAN & 1000's of WOMEN like her are NOT ‘making a mockery of our military’. You WISH your daughter was as AWESOME as MINE! so BACK OFF.”
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who was wounded in the Iraq War, did not mince words in a Twitter post: “F*** Tucker Carlson.”
Sharing a video of Carlson on the popular show “Dancing With the Stars,” Duckworth added, “while he was practicing his two-step, America’s female warriors were hunting down Al Qaeda and proving the strength of America’s women.”
Last year, Carlson questioned the patriotism of Duckworth, a former helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army who lost her legs in Iraq after an RPG struck her craft in 2004, and called her “deeply silly” and “unimpressive.” In response, Duckworth told him to “walk a mile in my legs.”
John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesperson, said that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was revulsed by Carlson’s comments.
Saying the military has more work to do to become more inclusive, and pledged to be more inclusive, but “what we absolutely won't do is take personnel advice from a talk show host, or the Chinese military.”
“Maybe those folks feel like they have something to prove,” Kirby added. “That’s on them."
However, Kirby noted that the American Forces Network will still carry Carlson’s show, but said he hopes that Carlson will “realize the mistake he made and express some regret about the manner in which he essentially demeaned the entire U.S. military, and how we defend and how we serve this country.”
On his show Thursday night, Carlson accused the Pentagon of “declaring war on a domestic news operation.”
“Since when does the Pentagon declare war on a domestic news operation? We can’t remember that ever happening,” he said. “But we’re going to pass on that, because this is bigger than a feud with some flack at the Pentagon.”