The #Pentagon has approved the use of a #Navy base on the outskirts of #Chicago as a staging ground from which the #Trump admin can [purportedly] launch operations against undocumented immigrants….

#NavalStationGreatLakes will serve as a hub in upcoming operations overseen by #DHS….

It could also potentially be used as a place to house #NationalGuard or active-duty #military #ServiceMembers, if #Trump orders a surge of #US #troops to the city, as he did in #LosAngeles & #WashingtonDC.

It is the second policy change the #AirForce has taken in recent weeks to crack down on transgender #ServiceMembers. AP reported last week that the #USAF would deny #transgender troops early #retirement #benefits & was moving to revoke requests already approved.

#Military legal experts who have been advising #transgender troops told AP that the new policy is #unlawful, & while they were not aware of the other services releasing similar memos, they fear it could serve as a blueprint across the military. Advocacy groups say the change threatens to weaken trust in the military’s leadership.

The move means that #transgender #ServiceMembers will now be faced with the choice of either taking a *lump-sum* [meager] separation payment offered to JUNIOR troops [regardless of their actual status] or be removed from the service.

An #AirForce [#USAF]spox told AP that “although service members with 15 to 18 years of HONORABLE service were permitted to apply for an exception to policy, none of the exceptions to policy were approved.”

The #Republican president also has sought to block federal spending on #gender-affirming #medical care for those under age 19—instead promoting talk therapy only to treat young #transgender people. In addition, #SCOTUS has allowed him to kick transgender #ServiceMembers out of the #military, even as court battles continue. #Trump also signed another #ExecutiveOrder to define the #sexes as only male & female.

#law #discrimination #bigotry #LGBTQ
#CivilRights #HumanRights #privacy
#BodilyAutonomy

#Israel, w/5 days of missile strikes, has done considerable damage to #Iran & believes it can now deal a permanent blow to Tehran’s #nuclear program—particularly if it gets a little more help from the #US.

But deepening American involvement, perhaps by providing the Israelis with bunker-busting #bombs to penetrate Iranian nuclear sites built deep underground or offering other direct #USmilitary support, comes w/ enormous political risk for #Trump. [& actual risk for US #ServiceMembers.]

“#DEI initiatives were designed to complement—not replace—meritocracy. They aim to ensure that all #ServiceMembers are evaluated fairly & have equal access to opportunities, thereby strengthening the #military as a whole.

“So I ask again: Why should young #BlackAmericans serve under a govt & military leadership that doesn’t respect their presence, their contributions or their history?

“But #Black #ServiceMembers have historically faced significant barriers to advancement, & these barriers still remain. As of 2023, Black individuals constituted 19.5% of enlisted personnel but only 9.2% of officers. Black officers are particularly underrepresented at the highest levels; only 6.5% of generals are Black. These discrepancies suggest systemic challenges that disproportionately affect promotion outcomes based on #race.

“Of course, #Hegseth & his supporters argue that their opposition to #DEI stems from a commitment to fairness & meritocracy. They assert that their aim is to benefit all #ServiceMembers, including #Black personnel, by eliminating what they perceive as divisive policies.

“More disturbingly, the admin & its ideological allies are erasing the accomplishments of #Black #ServiceMembers from the nation’s #military narrative. Units such as the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the #HarlemHellfighters; the #TuskegeeAirmen; the #MontfordPointMarines; & the #BuffaloSoldiers are no longer central to the story the military tells about itself.

“Under #Trump & #Hegseth, the environment for #Black #ServiceMembers is deteriorating. To my eyes, the campaign against ‘wokeism’ is not about #military readiness or discipline. It’s a thinly veiled attack on diversity, equity & inclusion — values that reflect both the reality of the #American people & the strength of a united fighting force.”

“Through it all, I remained proud of my service & the progress we were making.

“Under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton & George W. Bush, #Black #ServiceMembers weren’t always treated fairly—but we were not treated as enemies of the institution. Today, it appears that’s no longer the case.

Since returning to office, #Trump has moved quickly to assert control over American #cultural institutions, taking over the John F. #KennedyCenter for the Performing Arts & declaring war on Ivy League #universities.

A push to purge references to #diversity & #inclusion led to a page on Jackie Robinson’s life & military career temporarily vanishing from the #Pentagon website. #ArlingtonNationalCemetery web pages highlighting the graves of #Black & #female #ServiceMembers disappeared.

#VeteransDay was originally called Armistice Day in the #UnitedStates to mark the end of #WWI. After #WWII & the #KoreanWar, it was renamed, & its scope was expanded to honor all US #military #veterans. Memorial Day, which falls on the last Monday in May, specifically honors those who gave their lives for the country.

[but we know what #Trump thinks about military #ServiceMembers & veterans: “suckers & losers”]

#IdiotInChief #idiocracy #USpol
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/09/trump-americans-who-died-at-war-are-losers-and-suckers/615997/?gift=guxsrl_dAdXUP9zqbQPWxQH1eUKBazgJAqYoHpOVCuU&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share