Lumbardo
It is a no brainer dude. Absolutely take the leave. You know how the work culture is here in the US, it’s pretty ridiculous. The “Live to Work” crowd is getting pretty old now though so I have seen a shift in corporate culture where I am at.
Research related to National Defense are usually kept confidential, and corporations have an incentive to not share there research to maintain competitive with their competitors. Neither of these seem out of the ordinary regardless of where you are on the globe.
Even still. The US government funds various institutions that share their research publicly, so I am not sure where you are really going with this.
Funny enough, you would probably categorize me as a “STEMlord” if you knew me in person. In general I try to keep these types of communications as straight-forward as possible online. Many non-productive discussions that I have seen online originated from statements meant to impose heavy implication. These kinds of statements are generally taken worse with the lack verbal communication and body language. From what I have seen, it is generally better to give these faceless discussions some effort up front to ensure level footing for both people.
PS: I do believe humanity needs professions outside Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
That is George Washington’s Wikipedia page. It includes his whole life, there is plenty of information in there that is unrelated to politically charged violence. You can at least do your cohorts the courtesy of having a pointed and deliberate discussion. Put in a little effort, it doesn’t hurt.