During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) spoke about the nomination of Matthew Lohmeier to serve as Air Force Undersecretary.
00:00Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to carefully consider their vote on the nomination of Mr. Matthew Lomere to be Undersecretary of the Air Force.
00:12The Undersecretary is the second highest ranking official in the Air Force.
00:18This position is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the department
00:24and assisting the Secretary in leading the largest fleet of aircraft and space assets in the world.
00:31Most importantly, they are responsible for managing the hundreds of thousands of men and women who make up the Air Force and the Space Force.
00:40And I have deep concerns about Mr. Lomere's fitness to represent these men and women.
00:48While I appreciate his past military service, his record of troubling conduct in uniform, extreme partisanship,
00:58and animosity towards military members with whom he disagrees politically is, in my view, completely disqualifying to be Undersecretary.
01:10His record of alarming behavior and statements is well-documented.
01:16In 2021, while serving as an active-duty Space Force officer in command of a large formation,
01:24he self-published a book titled Irresistible Revolution, Marxism's Goal of Conquest and the Unmaking of the American Military.
01:36The book argues that Marxism is rampant within the ranks and is leading to the collapse of our military and our society.
01:47As he wrote, quote,
01:48To be perfectly clear, the path we are on as a country leads us to fratricidal and genocidal warfare.
01:58While still on active duty and command, he went on a far-right podcast, which was known for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories to advertise his book.
02:12All of this was done without the knowledge or approval of the Department of Defense.
02:20Mr. Lohmeyer was immediately relieved of command when his book and podcast were discovered.
02:28After leaving the Space Force, he has continued to write and speak about his extreme beliefs.
02:33Among his controversial statements, Mr. Lohmeyer called the January 6th attack a government-led false flag and hoax at the Capitol.
02:46I would ask all my colleagues who were there that day and who were in danger if it was a hoax and a false flag operation.
03:00It was an attack upon the constitutional responsibilities of Congress to certify the election of the President of the United States.
03:16And in that hoax, police officers were injured and killed.
03:22And many, many of us were terribly concerned about our safety and the safeties of our staffs.
03:35So if you believe it was a hoax, then you agree with Mr. Lohmeyer.
03:41But if you think it was and is an attack on our Constitution and on ourselves,
03:54this is not the gentleman to be the Deputy Commander of the United States Air Force,
04:00Deputy Secretary of the United States Air Force.
04:03He's appeared on dozens of podcasts and made hundreds of social media posts about his distrust of American service members.
04:13As he wrote in his book, quote,
04:15In one respect, U.S. military service members are no different than members of the People's Liberation Army.
04:25That's an interesting comparison.
04:28He went on to say each is comprised of humans, U.S. Army, PLA.
04:43Humans who serve a common, who share a common nature.
04:47Because we share the same nature, what Marxist ideology does to the Chinese military service member,
04:54it will do to the American.
04:56Now, that is absolutely absurd.
05:02I don't think anyone in the United States or in the United States military will believe that our military will be transformed
05:13into a Marxist fighting organization equivalent to the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
05:21And yet that's what he's talking about.
05:24And I've read a great deal of his writing.
05:28I had the opportunity and the privilege not only to attend West Point, but to teach at West Point.
05:34And I would question his understanding of Marxism.
05:39And his understanding, frankly, of the character of the American soldiers, sailors, airmen, space guardian.
05:47It is profoundly, not only deficient, but insulting.
05:54Let me make one point clear.
05:57I am concerned that he is a deeply misguided and biased opinion of American military service members and their leaders.
06:05If confirmed, he would lead an organization that, like this country, represents a spectrum of individuals.
06:19Republicans, Democrats, independents, of all races and creeds and sexualities.
06:25Yet his language suggests that he regards many of these men and women as adversaries to be rooted out and purged from the force.
06:36I am very skeptical that servicemen and civilians who do not share his political opinions
06:42can trust that they will not be targeted under Mr. Lohmeyer's tenure.
06:50This could be, for the former Space Force officer, a revenge tour in the Department of the Air Force.
06:59To get even with those he feels did not treat him fairly.
07:06That is not the type of individual you want in a position of Deputy Secretary of the Air Force.
07:16And during his confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee,
07:19my colleagues and I pressed him to explain his extreme positions.
07:24In particular, I urged him to pledge to not seek retribution against any military members or civilians
07:31with whom he has publicly criticized in the past,
07:36especially as many of them would serve unto him if he is confirmed.
07:42He refused.
07:44He refused to make such a commitment.
07:47That failure significantly increases my concerns
07:51that he will be out to purge,
07:56to seek revenge,
07:57not to serve the interest of the United States Air Force
08:02and the United States of America,
08:05but to work his own personal animatrices out
08:10against those he feel,
08:16those he distrusts.
08:19Ultimately, the Under Secretary of the Air Force
08:21is a position that demands wisdom,
08:24composure,
08:25and character.
08:27Our military personnel,
08:28and indeed the American people,
08:31deserve nothing less.
08:33And I do not believe that Mr. Lohmeyer
08:35is qualified for this position.
08:37And I urge my colleagues to vote against nominee.
08:41With that, I would yield to four, Mr. President,
