but the focus of the visit by mr. biden and ms. harris was on highlighting black service members who are part of the institution’s vast bureaucracy and 1.3 million active-duty troops.  after receiving a private briefing by mr. austin and other military leaders, the president and vice president walked down the corridor at the pentagon that is dedicated to african-americans who have fought in the military.  for african-americans, whose bloodshed on behalf of the military dates to crispus attucks in 1770, the lack of representation at the top has been acutely felt, and many black service members say they see the confirmation of mr. austin as long overdue.  the presidential attention on race and the military comes as mr. austin himself is trying to grapple with the issue of white supremacy in the military, which has long existed, service members say. it has come to the forefront of public discussion as the authorities continue to disclose the large percentage of veterans and others with military connections who were part of the pro-trump protesters storming the capitol last month.  seeking to address that, mr. austin ordered military commanders last week to review the issue of domestic extremism — white supremacy — in the ranks. commanders have two months to conduct the review, known in pentagon jargon as a “stand down.” as part of the review, mr. austin has asked commanders to talk to troops about the importance of their oath to defend the constitution, and to remind them not to take part in hate groups.  navy officials said that in recent weeks there had been hate incidents aboard two ships. in one case, a black sailor found a noose next to his assigned area, and in the other, someone left graffiti on a bathroom wall that read, “nazi life.”  also at the pentagon on wednesday, the president signaled his belief that china could be the united states’ next big military adversary, announcing the establishment of a defense department task force to look at what the pentagon must do to meet the challenge.
in first pentagon visit as president, biden praises black americans serving in military