The Military’s Extremism Problem Is Our Problem

3/2/21
There is no doubt that there are far-right extremists among the military community: Service members and veterans have been arrested in connection with violent plots, including a plan by a Coast Guard lieutenant to attack prominent Democratic Party officials and a plot by two Marine Corps veterans to kidnap the governor of Michigan. Wade Michael Page, an Army veteran, killed six people at a Sikh temple in 2012. There is reason for concern: Roughly 14 percent of the people arrested and charged for participating in the attack had some association with the military or law enforcement, according to reporting by NPR. Most of them were veterans. Veterans also seem to be a significant portion of those charged with conspiracy for planning the attacks. But the truth is that once one considers the insurrectionists’ overwhelmingly male composition, the share of veterans among those arrested over involvement in the Capitol attack does not significantly confound historical averages. Analysts are even unsure whether veterans were disproportionately present at the event or merely more visible during “its most aggressive actions.” But focusing on statistical proportions misses the more important issues: No number of veterans involved in violence against their own government would be acceptable.

Many analysts have expressed concern that recruiting veterans can make extremist groups more dangerous by bringing in tactical knowledge or expertise. Military and civilian defense leaders should also be concerned about a different commodity extremist groups seek by recruiting veterans: political legitimacy. The American public’s positive view of the military has historically put veterans in rarefied air. This has been particularly true among political conservatives and older Americans. By bringing in such figures, extremist organizations seek to co-opt that status for mainstream credibility. We observe this directly in the way groups like the Oath Keepers and Three Percenters intentionally blur the lines between themselves and the active force. Appropriating military iconography, equipment and cultural symbols, they attempt to benefit from the military’s credibility while posing as inheritors of a proud American military tradition. Military leaders should fiercely distinguish their organization from look-alike extremist groups by educating the public on the difference between active-duty service members and veterans. The military should also take seriously the task of educating the force about its constitutional oath and teaching transitioning service members about the threat posed by extremist groups and rampant disinformation.

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Rogue Valley said:

Opinion | The Military’s Extremism Problem Is Our Problem (Published 2021)

Yes, veterans were involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. But this isn’t just the military’s problem to solve.

www.nytimes.com

Far-right and white-supremacist militia groups are expropriating our image of the US military by dressing like active US military members.

Don't be fooled by this ruse. These seditionist and racist militia groups are criminal in nature and deed. They will kill police officers and anyone else who gets in their way.

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