The truth appears to be that while military-connected people are a small percentage of those convicted of extremism, their numbers grew after violent groups targeted recruitment efforts at veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, Braniff and other experts say. Some on the left, meanwhile, have falsely represented the problem of extremism as driven largely by military personnel and veterans.

House Armed Services Committee Republicans, for example, failed repeatedly last month to secure support on that Democratic-majority panel for amendments to its NDAA that would block Pentagon efforts to counter extremism and promote diversity. In these critiques, counter-extremism is often lumped in with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives under the umbrella term, “wokeness.” These initiatives, the GOP argument goes, are diverting resources from military readiness. Republicans have systematically depicted even relatively modest efforts to talk about extremism in the military and screen out potentially dangerous recruits as attempts to police thought - efforts, some say, that are stacked against conservatives and that end up tarnishing the military’s reputation.

Regardless, the extraordinary expression of opposition to even minor efforts to root out extremism from the armed services represents the latest sign of an ongoing partisan row over a reckoning with race in America. It is far from certain that the final NDAA that Congress sends to President Joe Biden’s desk will include the language, as solid Democratic opposition in both chambers could result in deleting or altering it during bicameral negotiations in the coming months. “Who will raise their right hand to join that military? And what are the implications for civilian control of the military if the military is not responsible for policing anti-government extremism within the ranks?” Partisan football

“What is the impact on morale, good order and discipline, and ultimately combat effectiveness, if the men and women in our incredibly diverse and all-volunteer military believe that the Department of Defense doesn't have their backs when it comes to white supremacy, support for jihadism, misogynist extremism, or anti-LGBTQ+ extremism?” said Bill Braniff, an Army veteran and director of the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, via email. Some military veterans and other experts who study extremism among veterans and servicemembers were dismayed when told about the Senate language. King did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Angus King’s vote in favor of the language tipped the balance in the GOP’s favor. While the Senate report language suggests the committee as a whole supports halting counter-extremism training and analysis, the same document reveals that the committee approved including that section of the report by only the narrowest of margins: 14-12.Įvery Republican on the committee voted for the motion, and every Democrat voted against it. 6, 2021, were former or current service personnel - about 17 percent of those charged. The Defense Department initiative was fueled largely by the fact that dozens of people charged with ransacking the Capitol on Jan. While not legally binding on the Pentagon, it appears to send a signal of congressional opposition to efforts to counter extremist narratives in the military. The language has not previously been reported in the press. The report accompanying the Senate’s National Defense Authorization Act, which was made public late Monday, states the committee’s view that “spending additional time and resources to combat exceptionally rare instances of extremism in the military is an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds, and should be discontinued by the Department of Defense immediately.” The Senate Armed Services Committee has called on the Defense Department to halt its programs to prevent and root out extremism in the ranks.

Pentagon root out farright ranks