The U.S. Army has admitted it was wrong to use false information in a recent training module that named AFA as a “domestic hate group.” The lie had been widely disseminated by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). 

Army spokesman Roy A. Rolan Sr. responded to a Jackson, Mississippi, reporter and said soldiers who attended an October briefing at nearby Camp Shelby will be notified that the SPLC’s “hate group” label is in error and should be discounted for what it is — false and deceitful. 

The Army’s statement said a trainer created the slide portraying AFA as a “hate group” without Army approval, and it was not produced by the Army and “does not reflect its policy or doctrine.” Read the U.S. Army’s full statement here.

AFA’s initial concerns have been addressed, but work remains to be done. We have documented cases of this type of false assertions against AFA being used in military training resources on other bases.

It is critical that the Pentagon and those who train our military personnel be clearly instructed to discount and refrain from using any information that they have not verified, especially when it comes from groups such as the SPLC, which is well known for spreading falsehoods.

I deeply appreciate your prayers and support.  I assure you, your AFA will continue to vigilantly defend religious freedom for those who serve in the military.