Tipsheet

U.S. Army Training Materials Labeled Pro-Life Groups As Terrorists, Lawsuit Says

Judicial Watch announced on Tuesday that it filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense for details of U.S. Army training materials that designate pro-life organizations or individuals as “terrorists.”

The lawsuit was filed after  the Department of the Army failed to respond to an August 13, 2024, FOIA request for documents related to the designation of National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), and others, as “terrorists” in training materials at Fort Liberty.

In addition, Judicial Watch requested all emails of Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo, Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, and/or Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus regarding the designation of pro-life groups or individuals as “terrorists.”

This stems back to a report from July, where WRAL reported that a photo circulating social media showed a slideshow at Fort Liberty calling pro-life groups “terrorists,” specifically, the NRLC, Operation Rescue, and opponents of Roe v. Wade.”

Fort Liberty issued a statement on Facebook responding to the photo (via WRAL):

After conducting a commander’s inquiry, we determined that the slides presented on social media 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 slides were developed by a local garrison employee to train soldiers manning access control points at Fort Liberty.

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.

“Let’s be blunt – the radical leftist Biden-Harris administration is trying to set our military against conservative American citizens,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “And that we have had to sue after being denied basic records about the Army’s targeting of pro-life Christians makes the scandal worse.”

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit in the District Court for the District of Columbia.