Wired’s investigative reporting found that the “U.S. military taught its future leaders that a ‘total war’ against the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims would be necessary to protect America from Islamic terrorists.” Among the various options put forward were to wipe out whole cities (as was done with Hiroshima) and to target the “civilian population wherever necessary.” While the Pentagon has since suspended such training, the officer responsible for giving these lectures maintains his position within the military: the “commanders, lieutenant colonels, captains and colonels” who took his course and listened to his rants have since been promoted to higher-level assignments.

QUESTION: How many of the officers who received this training now hold senior leadership positions, and what policy influence does this legacy carry?

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 572