Extremism is becoming more common among veterans and military personnel

There is a growing faction of extremists among US veterans and military personnel. While the number of people in the military who espouse extremist ideologies remains small compared to the 2.86 million active-duty military and 16 million veterans, experts are concerned that this extremism continues to infiltrate the ranks of the military.

Recent in-depth studies of this phenomenon have shed light on these ideologies, which most often manifest as far right extremism but can cover all aspects of the political spectrum. And there are growing fears that this radicalization could lead to violence, as has happened in the past.

No data is absolute, but the reports attempt to quantify military extremism. According to the investigation, more than “480 people with a military background” were “accused of ideologically motivated extremist crimes from 2017 to 2023.” Associated Press. At least 230 of these arrests were made in connection with January 6, 2021, uprising. at the US Capitol. According to the organization, at least 80% of extremists with a military background identify themselves with the far right. National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Response to Terrorism (START).

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When people in the military “radicalize, they tend to become radicalized to the point where they resort to mass violence,” New START spokesman Michael Jensen told the AP. Among extremists the main predictor become a mass casualty criminal “Having a military background in the US trumped mental health problems, it trumped loneliness, it trumped having a previous criminal history or substance abuse problems.”

Previous studies, including those conducted by the Ministry of Defense (MoD), “confirmed what many military observers already knew”: extremism “doesn’t have to be big to be deadly,” he said. Atlantic. Involvement in violence by “even a small number of individuals with military connections and military training… may pose a risk to the armed forces and the country as a whole,” the report said. Ministry of Defense report said in 2023.

While “the military is made up of the general population, initial screening and training should weed out people who, for various reasons, don’t serve in the military,” The Atlantic reports, but that doesn’t always happen. And veterans are “considered an important addition to violent extremist groups, given their past weapons training and their logistical and leadership skills,” the RAND investigation said, and veterans also “lend a sense of legitimacy to violent groups that can further facilitate recruitment ” Military too skews masculine and white, two demographic groups that are “associated with right-wing (and to some extent left-wing) extremism in the United States.”

The Pentagon and Congress also “have called for greater efforts to root out extremism within their ranks,” he said. Interception. This includes efforts to “take steps and provide recommendations to address the threat posed by extremist activity. However, policymakers often ignore reports that “veterans with negative military experiences are among the demographic groups at increased risk of radicalization.”

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How widespread is extremism in the army?