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A U.S. Navy engineer has been suspended after he advocated the use of lethal force in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Tyler Miller, 41, an employee of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor in Washington state, wrote in an October 13 Facebook post that "lethal force is justified when defending one's life, liberty, or property."
"PSA - COVID mandates are threatening your life, liberty and property," Miller added.
Miller wrote the post on a page called 'Liberty, At All Hazards.' Operated by Miller himself, the page has promoted a number of anti-vaccine and anti-mask rallies, and also has a number of videos of Miller promoting COVID conspiracy theories.
Miller is an engineering technician at Kitsap-Bangor's Trident Refit Facility and is responsible for maintaining the nuclear-powered submarines that are stationed within the base, according to the Kitsap Sun.
The facility is reportedly the current home base for eight Ohio-class missile submarines.
In light of the post, the U.S. Navy suspended Miller from his position for at least one month and also revoked his classified security clearances.
The Navy noted that these security clearances were required for Miller to perform his job.
"The suspension of access to sensitive and classified information is not a disciplinary action," said Mike Hatfield, a spokesman for Kitsap-Bangor base. "It is a measure taken in the interest of protecting national security information."
However, Miller has denied that he meant to threaten anybody, telling the Sun that "the intent has never been to cause or incite any kind of violence," and noting that Facebook did not flag or remove the posting.
Miller did admit, however, that he "[writes] provocatively" in order to promote conversations. "I do push rhetorical boundaries that a lot of people might not feel comfortable with," he added.
The Navy, however, considered the post just the latest in a series of inappropriate and inaccurate statements put out by Miller on Facebook. In an August 10 post, he wrote that "we need to fight back, but with smarter, more effective means ... guerilla-style methods of resistance."
Online users have reportedly spoken up about the posts in the past, and Miller stated that he had been interviewed by the FBI about the August 10 post, but was not reprimanded.
There are allegedly two internal investigations delving into the latest post, with one related to Miller's security and one related to his actual engineering job.
Miller added that, no matter the outcome, he was likely to move his family to another state, as he does not want to reside in Washington if COVID vaccines are mandated for children.
This is despite the fact that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended pediatric COVID vaccines for children ages 5 to 11.
Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense for comment.
