The Air Force and the command structure at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, are backpedaling to distance themselves from a message distributed on the installation that labeled Turning Point Action an "alt-right" organization (without explaining what that was) and cautioned airmen that attending the conservative political rally could result in them being forced to leave the Air Force.
How It Started
Tuesday, RedState reported on a message circulating on Minot AFB. Minot AFB is the only airbase to host both strategic bombers and ICBMs. The 5th Bomb Wing operates 26 B-52 aircraft, and the 91st Missile Wing operates 150 ICBM sites. The message on a popular, non-official Facebook page purported to synopsize an official base leadership message. See Yikes: Air Force Base Warns Service Members Against Participating With Conservative Group.
The message's subject was the November 17 Dakota Patriot Rally in Minot. The rally was locally organized, and a senior member of Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group, was the headlining speaker.
Turning Point Action was characterized as an "alt-right organization." Airmen were told that the crowd attached might be confrontational with Air Force personnel (makes you wonder about the IQ of the person who posted it). And they were warned, "that participation with groups such as Turning Point Action could jeopardize their continued service in the U.S. military."
Given the obsession in some parts of the military in rooting out extremists (Navy Investigating SEAL for Supposed Ties to 'Extremist' Groups and Advocacy Against Gender Ideology), the latter was not seen as an idle threat.
While you give up some First Amendment rights on joining the military, you aren't stripped of them. The basic rules about political rallies are a) you don't go on duty, b) you don't wear your uniform, and c) you don't speak. If you think there is a chance the rally may end in violence, you'd be wise not to go. Attending the Turning Point Action rally does not violate any rule. And while Turning Point personalities may have engaged in some public dumbfu..., I mean, unwise commentary on social media of late, it certainly not an "alt-right" organization.
How It's Going
The electrons on the Facebook post had hardly cooled when North Dakota Kevin Cramer was on the phone with Air Force Chief of Staff David Allvin.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), spoke with Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin regarding Minot Air Force Base’s biased and misguided official communication warning Airmen against participating in the Dakota Patriot Rally held in Minot on Friday, November 17. The rally celebrated traditional conservative values, yet the Air Force message labeled the organizers as “alt-right” and stated participation “could jeopardize their continued service in the U.S. military.”
During their conversation, General Allvin described the sequence of events which led to the misinformation and stated Minot Air Force Base issued an internal correction 52 minutes after the message was sent. However, Minot Air Force Base did not issue a statement on its official website and Facebook page until Tuesday at 2:19 p.m. Eastern time, four days later.
Senator Cramer believes the base should have made the correction on its official channels right away instead of waiting until mainstream media issued a story. He remains frustrated with the extreme, left-leaning political activism alive in the Department of Defense and is concerned with the military’s inability to prioritize warfighting.
The base issued a correction.
Minot Air Force Base is aware that an unofficial message about a local event in the City of Minot was sent in a text message group. The message was based on incorrect data and sent outside of official base messaging platforms. Once the error was identified, base security officials corrected the message traffic to categorize the event as a local political fundraiser, with no security concerns. Further, the updated message communicated there were no issues with military members participating in their personal capacity – in line with their First Amendment rights. All Air Force Airmen have a Constitutional right to freedom of assembly. That said there are some limitations placed on an Airman’s ability to participate in political events in an official capacity. These limitations are set by ethical guidelines in the Code of Federal Regulations in order to maintain the politically neutral stance of the US Military.
What is missing from the statement is any reference to the slandering of Turning Point Action or their speaker, leaving that lie to remain. The last two sentences seem calculated to muddy the waters about the propriety of airmen attending the event.
In short, this is a "sorry, not sorry" statement and leads one to believe that the Facebook post may have accurately reflected the views of installation leadership.