The Pentagon Press Briefing Room seal as seen March 27, 2020, Washington, D.C. (DoDo photo by Lisa Ferdinando)ry

By  Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III signed a memo directing commanding officers and supervisors at all levels to select a date within the next 60 days to conduct a one-day “stand-down” to discuss extremism in the ranks with their personnel, the Department of Defense announced.  The directive came two days after the Secretary of Defense ordered a  DOD-wide “stand down” to discuss the problem of extremism in the military.   The January 6 insurrection at the nation’s Capital ripped open raw the  disturbing fact that extremist elements are within the ranks the U.S. military.  Austin and Army Gen. Mark A, Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with service civilian leaders and service chiefs to discuss the problem of extremism.   Investigations revealed that some of the extremists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 were active duty service members and others were military veterans. At least 25 people either formerly or currently associated with the military were charged in connection with the riot.  

According to Gen. Austin’s Friday memo, the Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) 1325.06, ” Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces” provides the core tenets to support such discussions regarding extremism.

“As Service members or Federal civil servants, we each take an Oath of Office on entering into public service. The framers of the Constitution included the requirement to take an Oath of Office in the Constitution itself. While the nature of that oath may vary depending on the individual role you serve, all oaths include the commitment to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.  We will not tolerate actions that go against the fundamental principles of the oath we share, including actions associated with extremist or dissident ideologies. Service members, DoD civilian employees, and all those who support our mission, deserve an environment free of discrimination, hate, and harassment. “

-U.S. Defense Secretary Austin said in memo

12 Army National Guard Members Removed from Inauguration Duty 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III speaks with a Michigan National Guardsman during a visit to the U.S. Capitol building, Jan. 29, 2021. (DOD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase)

Twelve Army National Guardsmen were removed  from  last month’s Presidential Inauguration after extra screening for potential extremists in the ranks. Two were taken off for possible links to extremists groups.  The Pentagon’s Press Secretary John F. Kirby  pointed out that  “the vast majority of men and women who serve in uniform and the military are doing so with honor, integrity and character, and do not espouse the sorts of beliefs that lead to the kind of conduct that can be so detrimental to good order and discipline and in fact is criminal.”

Defense Secretary  Austin in his memo stated  the stand-down “is just the first initiative of what I believe must be a concerted effort to better educate ourselves and our people about the scope of this problem and to develop sustainable ways to eliminate the corrosive effects that extremist ideology and conduct have on the workforce. We owe it to the oath we each took and the trust the American people have in our institution.”