Conservative television commentator Tucker Carlson has been criticised by the Pentagon for saying that recruiting women in the armed forces was ‘a mockery of the US military’.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the popular Fox News host had ‘essentially demeaned the entire US military’. He hoped Carlson would realise his error.
According to the BBC, Carlson derided military ‘maternity flight suits’ and recent updates to Army and Air Force hair regulations.
He said: ‘Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the US military.’ The commentator added: ‘While China’s military becomes more masculine as it’s assembled the world’s largest navy, our military, as Joe Biden says, needs to become more feminine.’
The BBC said senior members of the military denounced Carlson’s comments on Twitter.
General Paul Funk, who leads the Army Training and Doctrine Command tweeted that ‘thousands of women serve honourably every day around the globe’, adding: ‘They are beacons of freedom and they prove Carlson wrong through determination and dedication. We are fortunate they serve with us.’
[Image: Gage Skidmore, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91226354]