Retired Army general calls out Defense Department for being politically correct

Lieutenant General (RET) Michael Flynn

A retired US Army general is speaking out against the DoD’s intelligence wing, claiming he was fired for calling the enemies of the United States “radical jihadis.”

In self-penned Saturday op-ed piece in the New York Post, Lt.Gen. Michael Flynn (USA, Ret) described his departure from the head position of the Defense Intelligence Agency as more to do with his politically-incorrect stance than that of leadership shortcomings, citing that his superiors had no lack of faith in his ability to command.

“I knew then it had more to do with the stand I took on radical Islamism and the expansion of al Qaeda and its associated movements,” he wrote. “I felt the intel system was way too politicized, especially in the Defense Department. After being fired, I left the meeting thinking, ‘Here we are in the middle of a war, I had a significant amount of combat experience (nearly five years) against this determined enemy on the battlefield and served at senior levels, and here it was, the bureaucracy was letting me go.”

Flynn would go on to say that he “I would not change a lick” how he handled his time at DIA, saying that there was too much at stake in a war against a “vicious enemy.”

“We’re in a global war, facing an enemy alliance that runs from Pyongyang, North Korea, to Havana, Cuba, and Caracas, Venezuela,” Flynn wrote. “Along the way, the alliance picks up radical Muslim countries and organizations such as Iran, al Qaeda, the Taliban and Islamic State. That’s a formidable coalition, and nobody should be shocked to discover that we are losing the war.”

Flynn says that in order to defeat radicals, they must be challenged not only on a military front but ideologically, as well.

“As we defeat them on the ground, we must clearly and forcefully attack their crazy doctrines. Defeat on battlefields does great damage to their claim to be acting as agents of divine will,” he commented. “After defeating al Qaeda in Iraq, we should have challenged the Islamic world and asked: ‘How did we win? Did Allah change sides?”

Flynn’s approach was not, however, exclusive to Islamic radicals.

“We need to denounce them as false prophets, as we insist on the superiority of our own political vision. This applies in equal measure to the radical secular elements of the enemy coalition. Is North Korea some sort of success story? Does anyone this side of a university seminar think the Cuban people prefer the Castros’ tyranny to real freedom? Is Vladimir Putin a model leader for the 21st-century world?”

Flynn’s public denouncing of political correctness in the realm of defense matters comes shortly after news of his potential selection as vice-presidential candidate by Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, who has been criticized on being inexperienced with defense matters.

Despite being a registered Democrat, Flynn has been publicly critical of the current administration.

“It infuriates me when our president bans criticism of our enemies, and I am certain that we cannot win this war unless we are free to call our enemies by their proper names: radical jihadis, failed tyrants, and so forth,” he said.

“With good leadership, we should win. But we desperately need good leaders to reverse our enemies’ successes.”

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Author

  • Andy Wolf

    Andy Wolf is an Appalachian native who spent much of his youth and young adulthood overseas in search of combat, riches, and adventure- accruing decades of experience in military, corporate, first responder, journalistic and advisory roles. He resides in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains with his K9 companion, Kiki.

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