One GOP Senator says criticism about extremism in the military ranks is hurting their recruiting ability.

Sen Thom Tillis chastised Democrats and his Republican colleagues for making the issue of potential extremism in the military into a political theater.

Tillis said, “Well, I think that the [Department of Defense] is already prepared to address it and that they are. I mean, you got one side of the aisle saying it’s full of a bunch of woke administrators, and you got the other side of the aisle saying it’s a bunch of extremists. Both views are wrong, and it’s hurting recruiting and retention.”

According to a University of Maryland study released in July, 151 (out of a total of nearly 900) individuals facing charges for their participation in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, have a military background (including active-duty service members and veterans).

It’s sparked a conversation around extremism in the military that led to the administration of President Joe Biden promising to put extra effort into ensuring extremism isn’t taking over.

But all the chatter about the army being full of extremists has made it understandably more difficult for recruiters to convince young people to put their futures in the hands of the military, with recruitment goals predicted to be a shortfall of 30,000 soldiers this year.