A retired Army colonel turned social media influencer, Kurt Schlichter, worked as a civilian at the Pentagon on a task force aimed at eliminating 'woke' ideology from military war colleges, according to a WIRED investigation. Schlichter, who has over 620,000 followers on X, was given a government email address and the designation 'HQE,' possibly meaning 'highly qualified expert.' He confirmed his role to The Washington Post, which first reported his employment.
WIRED reviewed years of Schlichter's posts and articles showing extremist views. He called for an authoritarian crackdown on 'liberals,' suggested people without children, military service, or property should not vote, and praised dictators Augusto Pinochet and Francisco Franco. He also referred to liberal women as a 'pestilence' and immigrants as 'Third World barbarians.'
The Pentagon's press secretary, Kingsley Wilson, defended Schlichter's contribution, saying the department was proud to have patriots and veterans like him. Wilson herself had shared extremist content before joining the Pentagon. Schlichter did not respond to requests for comment, and it is unclear if he still works with the Pentagon. The reporting comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed Christian nationalist ideology and an anti-woke agenda.