“They're trying to take these oaths and these reasons for people to join the military, to defend our country and try to say, if you really want to defend our country, you're going to join us because we're at the vanguard,” Segal said of the extremist groups. Military service members transitioning to civilian life will also be warned that they might be approached by extremist groups. The discussions have already resulted in some immediate changes, including the commissioning of a study to better understand the scope of the issue and standardizing the screening process for recruits, including the vetting of social media accounts which is currently limited by regulations. “This is about the kinds of conduct and behavior that certain extremist ideology can inspire, and encourage and embolden inside the ranks.” “We're not trying to be the thought police or the belief police,” said Kirby. “All of them are clamoring for some better, more specific guidance about What is extremism? What is extremist ideology? What should we be looking for?” said Pentagon press secretary John Kirby. “Think about how their ideology or their personal beliefs work within the system that we're in.”īut Pentagon officials also acknowledge that the stand-down discussions have provided good feedback from leaders about how they can identify extremism in their units and what they should do about it.Īhmad al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images, FILE Susan Upward, who led a recent discussion at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia. “My goal today is at least to start the conversation, to have our junior officers think about these issues,” said Marine Maj. Pentagon officials acknowledge that future changes may not identify every individual who espouses extremist beliefs, but they want to make sure military leaders are better prepared to identify warning signs in the future. “Extremist groups target veterans and military members, because they want that training that they have,” said Shah.Ī stand down to study and root out extremismĪs the stand-down order went into effect at bases nationwide, discussion leaders were realistic about what they hoped to achieve. Steven Carrillo and another man allegedly shot and killed a federal protective security officer outside the federal courthouse in Oakland in a drive-by shooting. The shooting deaths of two law enforcement officers in California in late May and early June involved an active-duty Air Force sergeant who is alleged in a federal criminal complaint to have ties to the Boogaloos. Federal prosecutors have alleged that two of the men had ties to the Boogaloo movement, which espouses an anti-government ideology and wants to incite a civil war. In May, three former service members were arrested for allegedly plotting to incite a violent attack against a Black Lives Matter protest in Las Vegas. In October, two former Marines were among the dozen militiamen arrested by the FBI and charged with participating in a plot to kidnap Gov. Last year, two foiled plots were allegedly planned by former military members affiliated with right-wing extremist groups or militias. The report could not determine if extremism in the military was a growing problem, but it provided examples of current and former service members who were affiliated with or had leadership positions in white supremacist extremist groups like Atomwaffen and the American Identity Movement. “Can they be part of a group? What do you do in your personal life versus when you're in the military? Can you join an extremist group and be part of the military?”Ī congressionally mandated Pentagon report issued in March described how domestic extremist groups can pose a threat to the military by seeking to recruit active or past service members who could “ bring legitimacy to their causes and enhance their ability to carry out attacks.” “It is extremely complicated because of their First Amendment rights,” said Martha Raddatz, ABC News’ chief global affairs correspondent. Instead of a clear definition of extremism, the policy strictly prohibits military personnel from actively advocating “supremacist, extremist, or criminal gang doctrine, ideology, or causes, including those that advance, encourage, or advocate illegal discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, ethnicity, or national origin or those that advance, encourage, or advocate the use of force, violence, or criminal activity or otherwise advance efforts to deprive individuals of their civil rights.”
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