i cant connect online - are the servers down?

I had 2 cards each giving a +2 military vs alien, but was not given the option to play my alien 4 military world on the bonus placement. The next turn, as the first move, no problem. I have screenshots...

screenshot https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3390687799

Just curious?

The text for "New Military Tactics is, "May discard this card rom tableau to gain +3 Military this phase." Seems to be I should be able to discard the card whether I need the +3 military or not. But, I cannot figure out how to do so. Am I missing something, or is this a poorly phrased rule? Nothing in the phrasing of the card's effect prohibits discarding it even if the +3 military is not needed. Am I just not seeing how to declare that I wish to discard the card? Two different scenarios in which...