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Extremism becomes more common among veterans and soldiers

Harry October 29, 2024

There is a growing group among U.S. veterans and service members: extremists. While the number of people practicing extremist ideologies in the military remains small compared to the 2.86 million active duty soldiers and 16 million veterans, experts worry that this extremism continues to infiltrate the ranks of the armed forces.

Recent deep dives into this phenomenon have shed light on these ideologies, which often manifest as: far right extremism but it can cover all aspects of the political spectrum. And concerns are growing that this radicalization could lead to violence, as it has in the past.

No data is absolute, but reports, measuring military excess. According to the investigation, “more than 480 individuals with a military background” were “charged with ideologically motivated extremist crimes from 2017 to 2023.” Associated Press. At least 230 of these arrests were related to terrorism. January 6, 2021, uprising At the US Capitol. According to the report, at least 80 percent of extremists with a military background identify with the far right. National Consortium for Studies on Terrorism and Response to Terrorism (START).

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Four of the five members of the Proud Boys leadership charged by federal prosecutors with seditious conspiracy were also veterans. RAND. The study also found that “having a military background was the strongest predictor of involvement in a mass-casualty attack in the United States from 1990 to 2021,” while “having a military background increased the lethality of attacks by up to twofold.” .

Previous studies, including those from the Department of Defense (DOD), “confirmed what many military observers already knew: extremism “does not have to be large to be lethal.” Atlantic. “The involvement of even a small number of individuals with military connections and military training in violence could pose a risk to the military and the country as a whole.” Ministry of Defense report He said in 2023.

“Although the military draws support from the general population, initial screening and training must screen out people who do not belong in the military for a variety of reasons,” The Atlantic reported, but this does not always happen. The RAND investigation noted that veterans “are considered important contributors to violent extremist groups, given their past weapons training and logistics and leadership skills,” and that veterans also “provide militant groups with a sense of legitimacy that may be more helpful in recruiting members.” The army is also distorts male and white, “Two demographics associated with right-wing (and to some extent left-wing) extremism in the United States.”

It was stated that the Pentagon and Congress also called for “more efforts to root out extremism in the ranks.” Intersection. This includes “efforts to implement steps and provide recommendations to address the threat posed by extremist activity.” But policymakers have often ignored reports identifying “veterans with negative military experiences as the demographic group at higher risk of radicalization.”

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