{"id":182268,"date":"2019-01-17T06:14:24","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T06:14:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=182268"},"modified":"2019-01-20T08:07:31","modified_gmt":"2019-01-20T08:07:31","slug":"green-berets-targeted-after-anonymous-email-exposed-lowered-standards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=182268","title":{"rendered":"Green Berets Targeted After Anonymous Email Exposed Lowered Standards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction \u2013 Jan 16, 2019<\/h1>\n

War is an ugly thing. Particularly if you\u2019ve seen active service you will know that it\u2019s no exaggeration to say, \u201cwar is hell\u201d.<\/h5>\n
Nonetheless, if a war or conflict erupts you want to ensure victory, which is why you want your soldiers and equipment to be the best; to maximise the chances of winning.<\/h5>\n
In this regard your frontline troops, particularly Special Forces, are crucial. They will be sent in first, against critical high value targets that could determine the outcome of the entire conflict. Will it turn into a long and bloody war of attrition that takes its toll on soldiers and civilians alike?<\/h5>\n
Or will lightening strikes by Special Forces teams take out high value targets and force the adversary to the negotiating table? Before the conflict can turn into a war of attrition that ultimately brings ruin.<\/h5>\n
So it\u2019s a given that an army’s Special Forces are made up of its best: its fittest, most combat-capable and hardened soldiers. To that end candidates for Special Forces are put through rigorous selection procedures to see if they have what it takes. In the process they are pushed to the limit, and if necessary beyond.<\/h5>\n
Or at least they should be. For it now seems that U.S. Special Forces are lowering their standards so that they can recruit women in their ranks. This is obviously being done in accordance with the dictates of political correctness but perhaps it wouldn\u2019t be a bad thing if Western Special Forces lost their combat prowess.<\/h5>\n
After all, in recent years they have collaborated<\/a><\/span> closely with militants in Syria rather than fighting them, as Western governments claim. Making Western Special Forces political pawns and terrorist collaborators, rather than defenders of civilised values.<\/h5>\n
So perhaps it\u2019s only right, or indeed Karma at work, if Western Special Forces lose their edge in combat. Because as a former paratrooper with extensive combat experience I can say with absolute certainty that this is what will happen if woman are enrolled in Western Special Forces. And as the following report reveals, rank and file U.S. Special Forces N.C.O.’s feel the same. Ed.<\/h5>\n

Green Berets Targeted After Anonymous Email Exposed Lowered Standards<\/h1>\n

Kristina Wong \u2013 Breibart Jan 15, 2019<\/h2>\n

\"US<\/a><\/p>\n

Two Army Green Berets are fighting for their military careers after being associated with an anonymous email that accused their commanders of lowering standards to enable more soldiers \u2014 particularly female \u2014 to graduate from its prestigious Q-course.<\/span><\/p>\n

The anonymous email, signed, \u201cA concerned Green Beret,\u201d accused the leaders of the school of \u201cmoral cowardice\u201d for lowering the standards, and weakening instructors\u2019 ability to discipline students as they look to get further through the pipeline.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[The school] has devolved into a cesspool of toxic, exploitive, biased and self-serving senior officers who are bolstered by submissive, sycophantic, and just-as-culpable enlisted leaders,\u201d the email said. \u201cThey have doggedly succeeded in two things; furthering their careers, and ensuring that Special Forces [are] more prolific but dangerously less capable than ever before.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the specific complaints was that the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC), commonly referred to as \u201cQ-course,\u201d was restructured so that there were \u201cno physical barriers to earning the coveted Green Beret.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The email, which was blasted out to the entire U.S. Army Green Beret force in November 2017, became known as the \u201cletter heard around the world.\u201d It was then published<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>by a news site started by former special operations forces, and it generated stories from the Associated Press<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, NPR<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, and other major news outlets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maj. Gen. Kurt L. Sonntag, the commander of John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, which runs the course, responded at the time that\u00a0the selection process before the Q-course, known as Special Forces Assessment and Selection (SFAS), has evolved into a \u201cproven, challenging process\u201d that allows the training regiment to predict whether a Green Beret candidate will be successful operationally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf SFAS is correct, and we believe it is, the SFQC is not a place where high attrition rates should occur. Instead, the mission of the SFQC cadre is to train to standards,\u201d he said at the time. Sonntag also said no \u201cfundamental SF standard\u201d has been \u201cremoved,\u201d but that some comments in the email \u201cwarrant further evaluation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But in the months since, soldiers have been quietly punished for the email, according to the two Green Berets.<\/span><\/p>\n

The commander of the company of instructors was\u00a0relieved around April, and later given a 15\/15 on his Officer Evaluation Report, the lowest score one can get, affecting his chances for promotion, and thus, staying in the military.<\/span><\/p>\n

The author of the email was given an Article 15 around June for disrespecting a general grade officer. An Article 15 is an administrative, non-judicial punishment, according to the United States Code of Military Justice, which hurts one\u2019s ability to be promoted and to stay in the military.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, the two additional Green Beret instructors,\u00a0Sergeant First Class Micah J. Robertson, 33, and Sergeant First Class Michael Squires, 31, say they are being punished by association.<\/span><\/p>\n

Robertson said in an interview that after the email was sent out, commanders put together a list of about seven suspects, including them. He said he believes they were suspected because they had previously brought up concerns during town halls with leaders that were held to solicit their feedback.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both have been instructors since 2016, before Sonntag took command in June 2017, and say they have witnessed the changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlthough Micah and I had nothing to do with it, it spoke true to what\u2019s happening in the regiment. This guy Sonntag, who\u2019s basically the one who\u2019s trying to screw us over \u2014 he\u2019s trying to make his career about putting a female through the course,\u201d Squires said. He added that he did not oppose women in Special Forces, but opposed lowering the standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot only doing that, he\u2019s changed it to where the guys who are coming through the Q-course are not even the same quality of guys we had back in the day. Guys who should have been kicked out for several different things \u2026 As instructors, they took our power away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Both Robertson and Squires were also served with Article 15s related to the email, as well as to an online app they\u00a0started building<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0in September 2017 named Kayu, aimed at helping travelers and veterans with similar interests connect.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Article 15 accused both men of using their positions as instructors \u201cfor the purposes of personal gain\u201d by \u201csourcing information from students that had no relevance to training,\u201d or having their students sign up for the app. Robertson called that \u201chogwash.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Robertson and Squires rejected the Article 15 and requested a court martial \u2014 which they knew was a risky course of action, given the potential for a more severe punishment. However, they said they were so confident of their innocence they wanted to fight the Article 15s, and tell their side of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

In November, they were notified that Sonntag had decided to drop their Article 15s. They were then both sent a General Order Memorandum of Reprimand (GOMOR) \u2014 a letter of reprimand from a commander that requires zero evidence. GOMORs either stay on one\u2019s record temporarily or permanently, and if permanent, can hurt a soldier\u2019s ability to be promoted and stay in the military.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a hate letter, and you can\u2019t fight that,\u201d said Guy Womack, a military trial lawyer and analyst, about GOMORs. \u201cYou can ask your commander not to put it in your permanent file\u2026but you have no real right to due process like you do with criminal proceedings.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He said Sonntag likely dropped the Article 15s\u00a0 because he knew he would lose in a court-martial. Robertson and Squires \u201ccalled their bluff,\u201d and the GOMOR was a \u201cface saving\u201d measure, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, that\u2019s a common way to shoot someone in the back and that\u2019s what it amounts to,\u201d Womack said. \u201cI\u2019ve had cases \u2014 a few of them in recent years \u2014 where the evidence was not there to convict someone of a crime, but the command believed they had done something wrong. So they say, \u2018We\u2019ll give you this GOMOR.\u2019 It\u2019s a common tactic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In December, both Robertson and Squires received word that their GOMORs would stay on their files permanently. And just last week, both were told they were being discharged from the military within 60 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBased on what? I said take it to court martial so I could have my day in my court, so I could have my voice, and give my testimony, and show how jacked up this is, and I was not given my chance to tell my side,\u201d said Squires.<\/span><\/p>\n

Robertson has served over 13 years in the Army, and Squires have served over 12 years. Both joined after 9\/11, in 2005 and 2006, when they were 20 and 19 respectively, and have both served multiple deployments overseas. Both have three children.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey could care less about what we\u2019re going to do about our families and our jobs,\u201d Squires said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re even getting to the point now where they\u2019re trying to make us work very long hours just to keep a handle on us because they\u2019re worried we\u2019re going to go crazy, and they basically want us to be in the office all day long, and at the end of this, we\u2019re just going to get dropped off, out of the military,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo I can\u2019t even go search for a job, look for a job, they\u2019re holding us, and they\u2019re just going to kick us out, no money, no paycheck, on the streets, my kids with no food, no health care, nothing,\u201d Squires added. \u201cThey don\u2019t care what happens to us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sonntag has also come under fire<\/a><\/strong><\/span> for trying to punish an Army chaplain and his assistant after the chaplain said he could not conduct a marriage retreat with same sex couples due to the requirements of his chaplain-endorsing agency. Both were later exonerated.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not clear whether any of the comments in the email that Sonntag said \u201cwarrant further evaluation\u201d have been addressed.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response to a request for comment, U.S. Army Special Operations Command\u2019s Director of Public Affairs Lt. Col. Loren Bymer said in a statement:<\/span><\/p>\n

Army Special Operations Command is predicated on high standards and character attributes that define a Soldier\u2019s service. There was not an all-inclusive investigation launched, but all allegations of misconduct were handled by commanders at the appropriate levels and adjudicated accordingly. The Special Warfare Center and School has a responsibility to ensure each soldier attending training is prepared to meet the needs of the nation now, and in the future. This includes ensuring professional instruction, consistently strenuous mental and physical standards, inclusive training, and upholding the expectation that cadre and candidates demonstrate the Army Special Operations attributes at all times.<\/span><\/p>\n

The issue of standards will likely continue to be a heated topic of debate, as the military continues to integrate more women into the combat arms.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Obama administration began lifting restrictions on women serving in the combat arms, and services have been slowly implementing those policies.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Marine Corps, which was the most resistant, has made recent headlines for\u00a0integrating<\/a>\u00a0a female platoon into a previously all-male battalion at Parris Island, S.C., and for its first female Marine officer graduating from the Scout Sniper Unit Leaders Course.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the same time, the military is facing recruiting shortages, and an ever-increasing\u00a0demand<\/a><\/strong><\/span> for Special Forces.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only 29 percent of young Americans between 17 and 24 are eligible to meet the requirements to join the military, according to the Heritage Foundation<\/a><\/strong><\/span>. Only one in eight wish to serve in the military, according to the Associated Press<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some recruiting challenges, and I think the trajectory is not good over the next few years,\u201d Mark Mitchell, principal deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, said<\/a><\/strong><\/span> February at the 2018\u00a0Special Operations\/Low Intensity Conflict Symposium, according to Military.com.<\/span><\/p>\n

Former Green Beret and Ultimate Fighting Champion superstar Tim Kennedy said<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0Army recruitment challenges hit the Green Beret force especially hard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[For] Special Forces specifically, we are gonna have the biggest deficit of eligible\u2026 population, to select from,\u201d he said on The Joe Rogan Experience<\/em> on May 17. \u201cYou have to have a certain level of intelligence, a certain level of physicality, just to be\u00a0eligible\u00a0for Special Forces to pick you\u2026that pool is the smallest that has ever been in history.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sonntag himself acknowledged those challenges shortly after taking command. He said<\/a> <\/strong><\/span>at a symposium in November 2017 that all three\u00a0of the Army Special Operations regiments are facing serious challenges in \u201cforce structure changes, pipeline production, and recruiting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are currently not meeting our production numbers. The restructuring of the 85th [Civil Affairs] Brigade has created an imbalanced CA force structure. And our recruitment is down. If something doesn\u2019t change soon, we will short the operational force drastically over the next five years,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Robertson said lowering standards in order to produce more Green Berets goes against a fundamental SOF truth that every Green Beret is taught.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were basically telling us to not uphold standards,\u201d said\u00a0Robertson.\u00a0\u201cThe reason they were doing that is because they were trying to make quota\u2026In Special Forces you don\u2019t sacrifice quality for quantity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Special Forces allegedly lowering selection standards so as to recruit more into its ranks, particularly women<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-182268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Current_Affairs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/39262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=182268"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":182303,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/182268\/revisions\/182303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=182268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=182268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=182268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}