Sen. Thom Tillis to Investigate Allegations of Retaliation Against Green Berets

by Kristina Wong

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told Breitbart News on Thursday that his office will investigate allegations that a two-star Army general has wrongly retaliated against Green Berets under his command at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare School and Center (SWCS).

Those allegations center on Army Maj. Gen. Kurt L. Sonntag, who unleashed a string of career-ending punishments last year, after one Green Beret instructor at SWCS wrote a 6,399-word anonymous email expressing concern over the alleged lowering of standards for candidates going through the Qualification course, where Green Berets are graduated.

“That is something when I get back to my office [in North Carolina] we’ll be looking into it,” said Tillis, who is the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee and represents North Carolina, where SWCS is located at Fort Bragg.

“There are some standards that I think are completely appropriate, but when we start lowering the standards to address anything other than capabilities and readiness, then I’m willing to take the politically unpopular position to make sure that our folks are, well, they’re safe and lethal. I’ll make sure that my staff follow up on it.”

He said he has not seen the specific allegations, so he cannot yet say if he agrees with them, but he said they are “certainly” worth looking into.

“Anytime you have somebody on the ground — we’re talking Green Berets — these are highly skilled, experienced people, and anytime, they have a vested interest in making sure that their peers are equally ready and capable, and so anytime  those folks on the ground, their opinion is very important,” he said.

Last month, Breitbart News detailed allegations in a report from more than half a dozen current and recent Green Beret instructors stating Sonntag had retaliated against them and others for speaking out privately and publicly against the lowering of standards.

full story at https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/04/thom-tillis-investigate-allegations-retaliation-green-berets/