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Pentagon Report Finds No Disproportionate Extremism in Military

Study warns that punitive approach to extremism could risk alienating a significant part of the force

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Members of the U.S. Military salute during a ceremony to redesignate Fort Benning as Fort Moore, at Doughboy Stadium in Columbus, Georgia, on May 11, 2023. Calls to rename nine military bases, all of which are located in southern states that seceded and briefly formed the Confederacy, gained momentum during nationwide protests against racism and police brutality that were sparked by the 2020 murder of George Floyd, an African American man who died at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis. (Photo by CHENEY ORR / AFP) (Photo by CHENEY ORR/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The Pentagon released a report on extremism in the military, which found no evidence that the number of violent extremists in the military is disproportionate to the number in the U.S. as a whole.
  • The report was commissioned in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which involved several individuals connected to the military.
  • The study warned that a punitive approach to all forms of prohibited extremist activities could risk alienating a significant part of the force.
  • The report suggested that the risk to the military from widespread polarization and division in the ranks may be a greater risk than the radicalization of a few service members.
  • The report was released with little fanfare over the Christmas holiday, more than a year and a half after it was completed.