'Woke' Space Force: Book calling out military adoption of Critical Race Theory gets officer fired
Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier "under investigation" and reassigned after he self-publishes a book openly criticizing SecDef and other superiors for bringing CRT into the military
After self-publishing his book slamming the rise of Critical Race Theory in the U.S. Space Force and other military branches, Lt. Col Matthew Lohmeier finds himself fired from his missile-tracking job. Photo: Darren Scott/U.S. Air Force)
If you’re still active-duty military, you know full well your primary duty is to protect the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. For the last century, those enemies have been defined by political philosophy: Fascism, Nazism, Marxism, communism, anarchy and — added in the last 25 years — terrorism.
Apparently you are not allowed to call out those same enemies actually within the U.S. military.
A commander of a U.S. Space Force unit tasked with detecting ballistic missile launches has been fired for comments made during a podcast promoting his new book, which claims Marxist ideologies are becoming prevalent in the United States military.
Lt Col. Matthew Lohmeier, commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado, was relieved from his post Friday by Lt. Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of Space Operations Command, due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to lead.”
"This decision was based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast," a Space Force spokesperson said in an email response to America’s Conservative Voice (ACV). "Lt. Gen. Whiting has initiated a Command Directed Investigation on whether these comments constituted prohibited partisan political activity."
Lohmeier's temporary assignment in the wake of his removal was not immediately clear.
Earlier this month, Lohmeier, a former instructor and fighter pilot who transferred into the Space Force, self-published a book titled Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military.
"Irresistible Revolution is a timely and bold contribution from an active-duty Space Force lieutenant colonel who sees the impact of a neo-Marxist agenda at the ground level within our armed forces," a description of the book reads.
Lohmeier spoke via email about U.S. institutions, including universities, media and federal agencies including the military, that he said are increasingly adopting leftist ideology. Lt. Col Lohmeier says those beliefs — such as diversity, inclusion training and Critical Race Theory (CRT) — are the systemic cause for the divisive climate across the U.S. today.
From his perspective as a commander, Lohmeier said he didn't seek to criticize any particular senior leader or publicly identify troops within the book. Rather, he said, he focused on the policies service members now have to adhere to align with certain agendas "that are now affecting our culture."
Following the January 6 U.S. Capitol incursion by Antifa and BLM thugs posing as Trump supporters, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered a 24-hour stand-down in which commanders were ordered to ferret out “extemists” from the U.S. military. (Photo: Lance Erickson/Pentagon Media)
Regarding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, he said, "I don't demonize the man, but I want to make it clear to both him and every service member this [diversity and inclusion] agenda … will divide us, it will not unify us."
On February 5, Austin ordered all military services to observe a one-day stand-down on extremism in the ranks. As part of his stand-down, Lohmeier said, he was given a booklet that cited the January 6 “riot” at the Capitol as an example of extremism, but did not mention the civil disobedience and destruction of property perpetrated by violent BLM and Antifa activists following the death of George Floyd, a black man, under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis last May.
He also took issue with Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, claiming he had said in discussing Austin’s stand-down order that "there are too many white pilots," amid an ever-increasing pilot shortage.
"If you want to provide that kind of messaging to your already struggling pilot force, you can already expect to see further retention problems," he said.
In fairness, it appears Lohmeier was thinking of an op-ed by Maj. Gen. Ed Thomas published online by Yahoo! News decrying the fact 86 percent of U.S. Air Force pilots are white. While Thomas did not use the phrase “too many white pilots,” that was precisely the point he made in the article — using phrases such as “pursing equality” and “improving diversity.”
Though Thomas paid lip service to assuring the Air Force attracts the highest quality individuals, it was apparent in his tone that diversity is more important, stating at one point that former USAF Chief of State Gen. David Goldfein called diversity a “war-fighting imperative.” It is precisely that kind of woke obscenity that Lohmeier fears is permeating Space Force and the rest of the U.S. military.
Lohmeier told ACV he had consulted with his chain of command, public affairs and legal counsel about his plans to publish a book and its contents.
"I was apprised of the option to have my book reviewed at the Pentagon's prepublication and security review prior to release, but was also informed that it was not required," Lohmeier said in an email response. "My intent never has been to engage in partisan politics. I have written a book about a particular political ideology (Marxism) in the hope that our Defense Department might return to being politically non-partisan in the future as it has honorably done throughout history."
Lohmeier is not alone in his assessment of Fascism, Marxism and other anti-American philosophies creeping into the military. This photo of C4 packets forming into a Swastika was posted on Twitter. (Photo: Screenshot from Twitter account @Jacobite_Edward)
Prior to transferring into space operations, specifically space-based missile warning, Lohmeier spent over 14 years in the Air Force. His Air Force career included instructor pilot training on the T-38 Talon jet and time flying the F-15C Eagle, according to biographical information listed on his book cover. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2006.
He moved into the Space Force in October last year. The following month, President Donald Trump gave the new branch a Thanksgiving Day celebratory phone call, contacting Lohmeier and other members of the Space Force to congratulate them on being the newest arm of the U.S. military and wishing them a happy Thanksgiving.
Lohmeier said the beginning chapters of his book explore the history and foundation of the United States and how CRT — a blatant effort to redefine U.S. history and brand whites as inherently racist and claiming all white are white supremacists — plays a role.
"The diversity, inclusion and equity industry, the trainings we are receiving in the military ... is rooted in critical race theory, which is rooted in Marxism," Lohmeier said, adding it should be seen as a warning sign.
In the segment, Lohmeier said his book is not political, and is meant to alert readers to the increasing politicization of today's armed forces, some of which he said he'd seen or experienced firsthand.
There are Defense Department policies that spell out all the nuanced do's and don'ts surrounding politics or political discourse for active-duty service members, said Jim Golby, a senior fellow at Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin who specializes in civil-military relations and military strategy.
For a self-published work, policies that may apply include DoD Directive 1344.10 and associated guidelines discussing political activity in uniform. According to the services' standards, personnel may express their views freely, but they are still expected to uphold their branch's core values both on and off duty.
"Those are fairly broad and would not prevent publication, but might impose some minor limitations on content," Golby said Friday. Policies associated with a service member's security clearance or policy-related access, are usually covered by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) or a clearance read-in agreement, Golby said.
He added that those guidelines address “extremism of thought,” politically, socioeconomically and philosophically. Golby speculated U.S. Space Force commanders may be examining the possibility of defining Lohmeier’s book an “extremist publication” which would be against those specific policies.
“Military extremism” has been part of the Fascist Big Lie campaign, as soldiers sent to patrol the U.S> Capitol Building compound before the inauguration were forced to pass a “loyalty litmus test” during their deployment as the military sought to purge right-wing activists from its ranks. (Photo: Joel Appleton/Time Publications)
But the bottom line to Golby’s smoke-screen response is that none of the restrictions he claimed might apply to Lohmeier’s book have any bearing whatsoever on the Lt. Col’s. literary content. The irony in the discussion of corps values by Golby is that U.S. Space Force has not changed those values officially, while Lohmeier is warning in his publication that, unofficially, that is precisely what is happening through the introduction of CRT into the branch’s philosophy.
Such a turning point in military philosophy would be the definition of “extremism,” give the values of CRT are contrary to the morals and values of the United States of America as defined, not only by the Constitution, but also by the 240 years of history we have recorded adhering to those morals and values. As to any issue of classified information, the book contains no national security information
So how is it that Lohmeier has been temporarily reassigned and is officially under U.S. Space Force investigation? While a major, Lohmeier attended the Air Command and Staff College, where he published "The Better Mind of Space." The paper explores the U.S. military's role in space beyond geosynchronous Earth orbit.
Lohmeier told ACV his fascination with Marxism began after that, when he was pursuing his second master's degree in philosophy in military strategy at Air University's School of Advanced Air and Space Studies.
"All my interactions with senior leaders in the Air Force and in the Space Force have been very positive, he said. “They care a great deal about their people [and] the lethality of the force."
However, leaders may be afraid if they don't get on board with diversity training, they will face scrutiny, "or might not get promoted," he said, adding that liberal ideas are welcomed whereas ideas from more conservative voices are criticized or silenced.
Lohmeier advised any new service member, from enlisted to officer, to reject CRT if they see it being taught in the ranks, because it too is a form of extremism by the definitions outlined in DoD Instruction 1325.06, "Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces."
Lohmeier said he has received many messages of support from active-duty members on the book's release.
"[They're saying], 'Thank you, thank you, thank you for speaking up -- because we don't have a voice anymore," he said.
The book is available on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble and on Lohmeier's website. The book ranked No. 2 under Amazon's "Military Policy" section this week.