‘He has never served a day in his life’: US space command official hits back at Tucker Carlson

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

A top military official at the United States Space Command has hit out at Tucker Carlson’s comments against women in the military, pointing out that the host has “never served a day in his life.”

Carlson, a right-wing host on Fox News who is known for his controversial statements, fielded significant criticism for his attack on Joe Biden’s remarks regarding efforts to diversify the armed forces on International Women’s Day.

During his remarks on Monday, Mr Biden discussed steps being taken to make the military more accessible to women, such as updating hairstyle requirements, tailoring combat uniforms for women, and creating maternity flight suits.

Carlson hit out at the provisions on Tuesday saying that allowing pregnant women to “fight wars” makes a “mockery of the US military.”

"So we’ve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits. Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the US military,” he said.

He continued: “While China’s military becomes more masculine as it has assembled the world’s largest navy, our military needs to become as Joe Biden says more feminine, whatever feminine means anymore.”

A number of high-profile members of the military have publicly condemned Carlson’s attitude, including Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker who is command senior enlisted leader of the US Space Command.

“I understand some comments were made yesterday and I watched a clip that Mr Carlson produced as he referred to pregnant women in the military,” Mr Stalker said in a video on Twitter on Thursday.

“I’ll remind everyone that his opinion, that he has a right to, is based off zero days in the armed forces,” he said, before giving his own contradictory opinion on women’s role in the service which he noted was “based off 28 years of actual service in the military”.

“The bottom line is that we value women in our armed forces, we value those that have served in the past and those that serve today. We value our families in the military,” Mr Stalker said.

Before signing off his message, the sergeant reiterated: “Let's remember that those opinions were made by an individual who has never served a day in his life.”

Mr Stalker took up his role at the Space Command in August 2020 and has also served as the command senior enlisted leader for the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and United States Cyber Command.

A number of other senior members of the military called out Carlson for the comments, with Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby stating that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shared the “revulsion” expressed.

"The Secretary certainly shares the revulsion of so many others to what Mr Carlson said," Mr Kirby told reporters on Thursday.

“Women lead our most lethal units with character. They will dominate ANY future battlefield we’re called to fight on. @TuckerCarlson’s words are divisive, don’t reflect our values,” Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston said.

He added: “We have THE MOST professional, educated, agile, and strongest NCO Corps in the world.”

General Paul Funk, head of Army Training and Doctrine Command, argued that “thousands of women serve honorably every day around the globe.

“They are beacons of freedom and they prove Carlson wrong through determination and dedication. We are fortunate they serve with us.”