A commander in the U.S. Space Force has been discharged after remarks made in podcasts promoting his latest book which claims Marxist philosophies are spreading in the U.S. military.
Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier claimed on the "Information Operation" podcast in May that Marxist ideologies were expanding across U.S. society - including in the news media, universities, the federal government and branches of the U.S. military.
In another podcast, the Steve Gruber Show, Lohmeier said: "Since taking command as a commander about 10 months ago, I saw what I consider fundamentally incompatible and competing narratives of what America was, is and should be."
"That wasn't just prolific in social media, or throughout the country during this past year, but it was spreading throughout the U.S. military," Lohmeier said. "And I had recognized those narratives as being Marxist in nature."
Lohmeier was a commander of a unit responsible for detecting ballistic missile launches, according to a report from Military.com - the first to report the discharge.
A Defense Department official told CNN the removal was "based on public comments made by Lt. Col. Lohmeier in a recent podcast" resulting in the "loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead."
Lohmeier also said practices such as mandatory diversity and inclusion training, which Republicans have also criticized, caused division in the U.S.
He maintained that his book wasn't political, but rather a message about the increased politicization of the armed forces, which he claims he witnessed firsthand.
He was promoting his self-published book "Irresistible Revolution: Marxism's Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military."
Lohmeier told Military.com that he discussed the book with his superiors, as well as legal and public relations officials, and was told he didn't need to apply it for security and pre-publication review.
