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![]() Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told POLITICO that the recent decisions are seen as an initial salvo in a longer-term strategy to tackle the threat. “And so in a lot of cases, it simply does not exist.” “There hasn’t been a priority on gathering that kind of data,” Miller said. So it makes it a bit challenging to compare data … one year to another.”Ĭassie Miller, a researcher on extremism at the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the recent burst of extremist activity and movements nationally means the military desperately needs a better understanding of how much it has become a breeding ground, especially for those who leave the service. “While our ability to track those cases has improved since 2018 with the introduction of systems for flagging or coding cases that has that element,” a DoD official recently told reporters, “those systems have come online at different points over the last several years. The working group pegged the number at roughly 100 in 2021, but also asserted it’s probably not a complete picture of a phenomenon that operates mostly in the shadows. ![]() Top of the list is developing more effective means to track how many troops are being punished or removed on a regular basis for engaging in extremist activities, either through the military justice system or criminal or administrative investigations by the military branches’ internal watchdogs. The Defense Department is the first to acknowledge it has a lot more work to do. “However, even a small number of cases can pose a significant problem, challenging safety and unit cohesion.” ‘To spot that sort of stuff’ ![]() “The available data generally shows that cases of prohibited extremist activity among service members was rare,” the Pentagon working group concluded in reaching its consensus last month. He also approved revised guidelines that add new activities to the list of prohibited actions, including “liking” an extremist post on social media. In December, Austin issued a memorandum ordering “increased clarity” on what constitutes extremist behavior that could get troops kicked out of the military and how commanders should handle it. He also established a working group to review the issue and recommend changes. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a forcewide stand down to remind the troops of prohibited behavior. ![]() Their leading role served as a wake-up call for military leaders. And one study put it as high as 118 - or more than 15 percent. 6 attack on the Capitol have a record of military service. She noted that the military branches, “particularly the Army, placed a lot of emphasis on countering extremism in the 1990s, and then that attention dissipated.”Īt least 80 of the 700 individuals charged in the Jan. Heidi Urben, a retired Army colonel and specialist on the military and politics at Georgetown University, agreed that the key is “to what extent the services will be able to sustain focus and command emphasis at all levels from this point out.” ![]()
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