Officials at Fort Liberty, the U.S. Army post formerly known as Fort Bragg, distanced themselves on Thursday from a slide shown to soldiers during a briefing on Wednesday that featured a pro-life organization as an example of a terrorist group.
In a statement to Breitbart News, the post said:
After conducting a commander’s inquiry, we determined that these slides were not vetted by the appropriate approval authorities, and do not reflect the views of the XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Liberty, the U.S. Army or the Department of Defense.
The officials said the slides were developed by a “local garrison employee” to train soldiers who were manning gates at Fort Liberty in North Carolina, and that it would no longer be used.
“These slides will no longer be used, and all future training products will be reviewed to ensure they align with the current DoD anti-terrorism guidance,” officials said.
The slide came to the public’s attention after a military whistleblower posted it on X, sparking outrage among conservatives.
The slide featured the pro-life group National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the U.S.
Breitbart News spoke with the soldier who took the photo of the slide.
The soldier said the briefing was conducted by Department of Defense civilians who said the briefing slides were not theirs, but that they had requested anti-terrorism officers come and give the briefing themselves, but were told “no.”
“I am unsure who originally produced or approved the slides,” the soldier said.
The soldier said the briefing was part of a two-week class on how to be a gate guard, and that the slide was shown as examples of things to look out for.
Preceding the slide on the NRLC were slides about Islamist group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other Muslim terror groups, the soldier said.
The NRLC said in a statement posted on X:
In a presentation that is deeply offensive to pro-life Americans across the nation, Fort Liberty promoted outright lies about the National Right to Life in a demonstration of lazy scholarship. In our over 50-year history, National Right to Life has always, consistently, and unequivocally condemned violence against anyone.
The presentation accused pro-life Americans of ‘terrorist activities’ if they opposed ‘Row v. Wade’ [sic],’ supported pregnancy centers, participated in sidewalk counseling, displayed pro-life license plates, or were involved in other peaceful activities. One must wonder how a license plate that raises funds for pregnancy resource centers could be construed as a symbol of terrorism.
National Right to Life’s retired logo was used on the slide as an example.
Only under the Biden Administration can peaceful, law-abiding citizens and their peaceful activities be considered ‘terrorism.’ The Biden Administration promotes the deaths of preborn babies and advocates for unlimited abortion, but peaceful pro-life Americans are labeled ‘terrorists.’
House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) called the incident a “national outrage.”
“Instead of defending us from foreign terrorists, Joe Biden’s Pentagon is attacking pro-life Americans as a domestic terror threat. Even if this slide deck was unapproved, it still exposes the Biden DoD for creating a politicized environment where far-left whack jobs feel they can get away with teaching our troops that conservative Americans are their adversary and legitimate military targets. We are in dangerous territory,” he said.
The soldier who blew the whistle on the slide did not want to be identified publicly, but said in a statement to Breitbart News:
This incident is, in itself, not of particular note. Briefings like this have been happening for years, especially post-Covid. Those that were in the armed services following January 6th will remember all too well the ‘extremism stand down’ and how we were encouraged to keep eyes on our colleagues who lean right.
The military has always been political, but it has always been understood that these things were handled by general officers and politicians directly, rarely affecting or even being brought to the attention of the common enlisted. In the current era it is nothing but business as usual to be told that advocating for your morals and values puts you in line with those who wish to see our nation destroyed.
“To the service members still in, do not be cowards, Christ demands action, we all swore an oath to protect and defend The Constitution of these United States. Advocate for the men and women you serve with, pray for the unborn, and fight for what is right. Ave Christus Rex!” the soldier concluded.
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration put into place a policy at the Pentagon of funding the travel cost and time off for troops and their families to seek abortions in other states if they were stationed in a state that did not allow them to get one.
Republican senators, particularly Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), had argued the policy was a circumvention of federal law that prohibits taxpayer funds from funding abortions.
As a result, Tuberville blocked hundreds of the Biden administration’s promotions of military officers from being promoted, but relented after fellow Republican senators exerted put heavy pressure on him.
Follow Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong on ”X”, Truth Social, or on Facebook.