Update: The committee passed the religious freedom legislation as amendments to the NDAA. The legislation has the support of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
The House Armed Services Committee is going to debate the Military Religious Freedom Act, which the Air Force Times says US Rep Todd Akin (R-Mo) will let troops and chaplains “openly oppose gays.”
Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., is specifically aiming to protect religious freedom by allowing service members and chaplains to openly oppose gay and lesbian lifestyles and the presence of gay Read more…
The US military academies appear to have hammered out their graduation speakers for this year:
The top military leadership speaks at the military academy graduations on a rotating basis. For those keeping count, Obama has already spoken at Annapolis, West Point, and now the Coast Guard academy, so if tradition holds he will address USAFA next year.
The previously noted “controversy” over female American Soldiers wearing a headscarf resembling the Islamic hijab has resurfaced with gusto.
A Chicago Tribune opinion piece written by Kyndra Miller Rotunda, a former JAG, displayed a bit of ignorance when the author said Read more…
Categories: Government and Religion Tags: Afghanistan, Ana Monteiro, Church and State, Islam, Jewish, Kristen Connell, kyndra miller rotunda, Maritza Mendoza, Mike Mullen, Military, Public Expression, Religion, religious freedom, USAFA
Update: The nearly 2 hour Prayer Breakfast is available on C-SPAN video.
According to the Christian Post, President Obama will speak today at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. He previously did the same last year; Admiral Mullen also attended last year.
Astronaut Mark Kelly, husband to wounded Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords, will reportedly deliver the closing prayer.
Obama is Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces; Kelly is a US Navy Captain. Military members have routinely taken part in prayer functions every year on bases around the world, just as they will this year in places like Fort Jackson, SC.
The military’s defense of their religious freedom ensures their continued ability to do so, despite the unConstitutional demands of those who would take away the rights of the troops.
In a topic related to the prior “moral compass” discussion (in fact, the NDU speech was specifically cited), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen recently said
What I really think it comes down to is accountability. Within the military, we need to be constantly asking ourselves, “Am I holding myself and those I am responsible for to the highest standards?”
Ultimately, our quality of work and our personal conduct will say far more about who we are and what we stand for than any other thing we do.
So, are “quality of work” and “personal conduct” the defining icons of what the military stands for?
If so, what governs “personal conduct” in the US military?
In a recent address at the National Defense University, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said this in response to a question about whether the “tolerance…has changed regarding ethics” in the military:
We have to have a true compass ethically. We have to have a true compass morally. We have to have a true compass inside our profession.
He’s right, of course. No one has ever debated the need for a moral standard by which military members must live and serve. The question, however, has been what defines the truth of that ”true compass.” “True” implies Read more…
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates issued his annual holiday message this past week. As is often tradition when mentioning the military and this “holiday season,” he cited George Washington’s Christmas crossing of the Delaware in 1776:
On Christmas Night, December 25, 1776, General George Washington and his band of 2,400 men crossed the icy Delaware River, won victories against British and German troops, and stirred new hope into the struggle for freedom and liberty… Read more…
Update: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen expressed “surprise” that General Amos aired his views opposing the administration’s push to end DADT, rather than keeping those comments private.
The Associated Press reports General James Amos, newly installed Commandant of the Marine Corps, has continued his predecessor’s opposition to a repeal of the policy known as “Don’t ask, Don’t tell.” (Nearly simultaneously, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called for repeal “quickly.”)
The article notes one unique aspect of the Marines: Read more…
According to the Stars and Stripes, LtGen Benjamin Mixon has “regrets” over the controversy caused by his remarks earlier this year on the policy known as “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” At the time, he wrote a letter to Stars and Stripes encouraging members of the military who opposed the repeal of DADT to “speak up.” Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, subsequently implied Mixon should resign if he disagreed with the military’s policy direction.
“I do regret having put Army senior leadership on the spot with my response in the Stars and Stripes,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin Mixon…
General Mixon reportedly said he planned to work “within the system” on this issue.
According to the Air Force Times, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen told the graduating cadets at the US Air Force Academy they need to “support a changing military.” The article notes Mullen did not directly address any particular issue, but his statement occurred “as Congress nears a vote on repealing [DADT].”
The quote by Mullen could make for a fascinating discussion on morality, ethics, leadership, and military service: Read more…
President Obama spoke at the US Military Academy commencement at West Point on Saturday. Admiral Mullen will address the US Air Force Academy graduation on Wednesday. The Naval Academy graduation will be addressed by Vice President Biden on Friday.
Obama’s address, which can be viewed at the White House website, contained some interesting quotes. Many focused on his stated “international order” and missed his statements on religion and war: Read more…
The US Air Force Academy announced that Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be the commencement speaker at the 2010 USAFA graduation.
The news release notes that this is the first time the CJCS has addressed the USAFA graduation, a position more often filled by the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of the Air Force.
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