Pentagon official denies report of Charlie Kirk military recruitment drive

The United States Department of Defense has denied reports that it plans to launch a recruiting drive to honour the legacy of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at a Utah university event.

US network NBC first reported the news on Thursday, citing two officials familiar with the matter, but a Pentagon spokesperson quickly dispelled the report to Fox News.

NBC said the Pentagon was debating slogans such as “Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors” as part of its campaign drive, although Kirk himself was not a military veteran.

The military also hoped to work with Kirk’s political organisation, Turning Point USA, as part of its recruitment drive, the story said.

Turning Point was credited with helping US President Donald Trump win at the polls in 2024 through its work with young voters on high school and university campuses.

“This is not happening,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told Fox News later on Thursday.

Wilson blasted NBC for using anonymous sources to publish “false claims” that were “100 percent wrong”, according to the Fox News report.

The two unnamed Pentagon officials in the NBC report said the recruitment plan had been met with resistance from “some Pentagon leaders” who feared they would be seen as capitalising on Kirk’s murder.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Turning Point USA announced on Thursday that Erika Kirk, Kirk’s wife, will take over Turning Point as CEO and chairman of the board.

“We will not surrender or kneel before evil. We will carry on,” the organisation said in an announcement on social media.

“The attempt to destroy Charlie’s work will become our chance to make it more powerful and enduring than ever before.”

Kirk’s death has been met with an outpouring of grief from leading Republican lawmakers as well as the White House and the targeting of Kirk’s critics, with people losing their jobs over comments allegedly disparaging the late conservative activist.

The US military has also reportedly suspended “several people” for social media posts about Kirk, according to ABC News, although the exact figure is unknown.

President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are all due to speak at Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday, according to a post shared on Turning Point USA’s X account.