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Another viral video, two others in trouble.
Following the Military Times report on the video, Cannon’s battalion contacted The Military Times about Cannon’s Facebook posts, expressing dismay at the messages and the openly political climate in the unit.
Military and experts contacted through the Military Times also expressed considerations about Cannon’s conduct on social media.
“Soldiers, adding those of the active duty reserve component, cannot participate in partisan political activities,” said Hernandez, arcENT’s spokesman. “The U. S. military is an apolitical organization that swears the Constitution of the United States and not a political party or organization. “
VanLandingham, a law professor at Southwestern Law School and former Air Force JAG, said Cannon’s publications are in grey domain of restrictions on troop political discourse, but possibly violated Department of Defense regulations prohibiting partisan political activity.
But if investigators profile it means approval from the Department of Defense, their political publications would likely constitute a primary violation of regulations restricting political discourse.
A civic-military relations expert interviewed through the Military Times said the investigation can also lead to a loss of confidence in Cannon’s ability to command, whether he has violated the Regulations of the Department of Defense’s political discourse.
“It’s probably already a weather command issue,” said Carrie Lee, an Air War College professor who spoke to Military Times on the phone in her non-public capacity. “Even if [Cannon’s conduct] does not result in a violation of the law. . . you will have to be able to lead men and women from all kinds of perspectives and political convictions. “
Another civic-military relations expert said the damage to the army’s reputation can pass beyond Cannon’s battalion.
“When members of the military post partisan or percentage political messages on social media, this threatens to erode The American public’s confidence in the uniformed military as a nonpartisan institution,” said Heidi Urben, a professor of security studies at Georgetown University and a retired army officer. Leaders in particular, he said, “exercise a high degree of caution when talking about politics on social media and avoid partisan content at all times. “
Political posts
A message Cannon got on October 1 from Lauren Witzke, a Republican Senate candidate who appeared in the Delaware poll, “crossed the line of Department of Defense regulations prohibiting “partisan activities” and army social media policy, according to VanLandingham, regardless of the implicit approval problem. The military corps of workers cannot percentages of positions of job applicants, according to policy. This was false about expired abortions, which has since been marked as “false information” via Facebook.
Other positions came from candidates, but were incredibly political in nature, but necessarily “partisan” in the narrow definition of the Department of Defense’s word.
Cannon published a link to Kevin and Keith Hodge, prominent conservative influencers known in combination as “The Hodgetwins,” on October 15 to destroy everything for their political ambitions. . . I’m worried about America, and I need to be back next spring. .
Other positions of the battalion commander come with a July 26 publication noting that Democratic presidential candidate Joe “Biden is the candidate. “The candidate is Michelle Obama. ” The message alleges a conspiracy in which “racial and ideological disunity” is “self-inflicted. so that Obama, “the newest and most advanced Messiah (neither man nor white) can come to ‘cure’ our national division. Don’t be fooled. “
Cannon also shared a series of conspiracy theories about Biden, accusations of constant debate, media conspiracies, and ties to China described as “unfounded” through PolitiFact.
His program also includes a series of public messages published by the Obama administration. One of 2013 accused the media of “conspiracy” in their policy of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Another 2013 article commented on a CNN panel on gun rights with two Navy veterans, one for gun rights and one for gun control. “Look at one with a gun . . . and the other . . . a camera . . . GOOD paintings CNN. . . is the oexual ho lover of this PFC Manning of the Marines,” He said in an obvious reference to Chelsea Manning, the former army intelligence specialist who was convicted under the Espionage Act for leaking classified data to WikiLeaks.
Conspiracies
Cannon, whose infantry battalion to Michigan’s ongoing reaction to COVID-19, also shared a significant amount of conspiracy theories and incorrect information similar to fatal disease.
On August 19, he published a link to the moment component of the viral documentaries “Plandemic”, either loaded with false data on the virus that causes COVID-19. FactCheck. org said the video “suggests without evidence that the new human coronavirus – deliberately caused and released. “In his comments, Cannon said, “Do you trust?”
Other July messages amplified incorrect information about masks that are meant to decrease oxygen levels in the blood, a claim refuted through medical experts and clinical experiments. On July 31, Cannon Facebook verified the facts of the claim by editing a photo related to incorrect information. , saying, “Let’s play a little with the RulesArray detection rule set . . . let’s see if you noticeArray. . . “
Cannon also shared “false information,” according to facebook’s check, on August 30, claiming that the CDC had falsified COVID-19’s total deaths.
He followed the skepticism of CDC accounts with an “Anchorman” meme on October 7 that read, “In a note, no one has died of ‘old age’ since March. “
Another April article dealt with graffiti “COVID-1984”.
The battalion commander also speculated on other plots, adding a revised post in August, wondering whether the Beirut explosion caused by a suicide drone.
Another August 11 article simply read “#SaveourChildren,” an anti-trafficking slogan for young people followed by QAnon’s conspirators.
One of trust
Cannon can be punished more for an indirect loss of confidence in his ability to command than in the positions themselves, experts said.
“The regulations governing the military’s political activities, especially with regard to online behavior, are not as transparent as one might think,” VanLandingham said in an interview with military times. “The army will never have to allow its non-public reviews. carry, or appear to have, [the approval] of their branch or the Department of Defense. “
VanLandingham said Cannon’s army’s Facebook profile (his uniformed profile picture, his civilian employment in the National Guard and Army Department, and his common exchange of messages about his unit’s educational activities) is not enough to signify the Defense Department’s approval.
However, the implicit approval factor would possibly not matter, says Lee, the civilian-military expert.
Commanders, Lee said, lead an ideologically varied framework and you will notice that they exert undue influence.
“One of the things about the role of commander, or leadership in general, is that everyone below you feels that they have their most productive interests at their heart,” he said.
A commander who defends a political point of view on social media may have a negative attitude about subordinates with different opinions, regardless of perspective, Lee said.
“[It] becomes a real loss of trust and becomes a weather commando challenge if you have infantrymen under your command who are liberal and look at your Facebook page” that includes conservative political messages,” he said. Many challenges for you as a leader to lead effectively. “
Lee also indicated that Cannon’s posts would possibly lead his infantrymen, such as those in his A-corporation who have recently been sanctioned for political posts in service, to think that partisan posts are acceptable.
“You can believe that a Joe on the street sees a battalion commander publishing things really in Trump’s favor and thinks he’s speaking on behalf of the Department of Defense,” he said.
Davis Winkie is a reporting intern in the Military Times. His writings have given the impression in The New Republic, Task