Two of President Donald Trump’s picks for Pentagon posts are former officers who publicly challenged senior military leaders and during the most recent administration: Former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier and former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller.
Trump prizes loyalty first and foremost in his subordinates and he has shown an eagerness to reverse many of his predecessor’s policies. The fact that Scheller and Lohmeier are critics of the military under President Joe Biden, and the views that got them in trouble in uniform now mirror many that Trump has publicly endorsed, could give them clout with the new administration.
Along with Trump’s nominee for defense secretary Pete Hegseth, both men have criticized military diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, or DEI.
Lohmeier has been nominated to serve as undersecretary of the Air Force. In May 2021, he was fired as commander of 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base, after talking about his book “Irresistible Revolution: Marxism’s Goal of Conquest & the Unmaking of the American Military” on the “Information Operation,” podcast hosted by Creative Destruction, or CD, Media, Military.com reported.
“Our diversity, inclusion, and equity industry and the trainings we’re receiving in the military via that industry are rooted in critical race theory, which is rooted in Marxism,” Lohmeier said. “And the language of the training, which most people don’t understand but I help laid out in the book, was devised by Marxists.”
In a Jan. 17 post on X, Lohmeier thanked Trump for nominating him and wrote that he was looking forward to “continuing my service to our great men and women in uniform.”
“To all men and women with a desire to serve your country in uniform, come join us now!” Lohmeier wrote. “We want the best, brightest, and strongest of you at this critical juncture in American history.”
Separately, Scheller made headlines for posting videos, while in uniform, in which he criticized senior military leaders over the Afghanistan withdrawal, and was later sent to the brig and subsequently court-martialed. He announced on Monday that he had “accepted the position of Senior Advisor to the DoD Under Secretary in personnel and readiness.”
Scheller received a punitive letter of reprimand and was ordered to forfeit $5,000 of one month’s pay in October 2021 after pleading guilty to showing contempt toward officials, showing disrespect toward superior commissioned officers, willfully disobeying a superior commissioned officer, dereliction in the performance of duties, failure to obey an order or regulation, and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
On Monday, Scheller posted on social media that he had accepted a position with the Defense Department. He also accused the Biden administration of “incompetence” and claimed that no senior active general officers have accepted responsibility for their mistakes in recent history.
“DEI, incompetence, and moral weakness (telling people what they want to hear or not speaking up) are all symptoms of the larger problem: a system incentivizing career progression over performance,” Scheller wrote.
Both Scheller and Lohmeier were among a small group of field grade officers who publicly lashed out at the Biden administration in 2021. Their actions were highly unusual because the Uniform Code of Military Justice prohibits active-duty troops and other service members serving on active duty from showing contempt or disrespect toward superior officers and certain U.S. government officials.
Trump’s selection of Lohmeier and Scheller is an indication that he is willing to embrace people who openly break with established norms in the military and who lean into political messaging while in uniform. He has also nominated Air Force Reserve Col. Doug Collins to serve as Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary and Army Reserve Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. The military warned both Collins and Gabbard not to wear their uniforms in political campaign materials.