Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby briefs the media, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The Pentagon is waging war on extremism within the ranks of its own U.S. military. The January 6 storming of the U.S. capital ripped open raw the frightening reality that extreme right-wing, racist groups are embedded in the nation’s military. Last Friday, 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. 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. Nearly 1 in 5 people charged in the insurrection were either active-duty service members or veterans, according to media reports.
The Defense Secretary emphasized that leaders have discretion to tailor discussions with personnel as appropriate to each command. Sensitive talks could entail speaking about the importance of the oath of office that service members take, impermissible behaviors, and procedures for reporting suspected or actual extremist behaviors, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said at a press briefing Monday.
“What [Austin] didn’t want to do is be overly prescriptive on this because every command is different, every service is different. And, of course, some commands are very much in harm’s way right now, and you have to make sure that they can do this in a way that doesn’t impede their ability to accomplish missions around the world,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kirby said.
3) We understand that a one-day stand-down across the force isn't going to solve everything, but it might bring to light concerns and experiences
— John Kirby (@PentagonPresSec) February 9, 2021
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
Pentagon: Extremist Groups Recruit from Military
Kirby said some extremist groups have been successful at recruiting service members separating from the military because some service members espouse the same ideologies as the groups. More critically, the groups value service members’ expertise with weapons, leadership skills and management capabilities. “So, there’s an organized — almost aggressive — effort by some of these groups to pull veterans into their circle.”
Kirby added: “Some of these groups are very organized. They very aggressively recruit soon-to-be veterans,”
The department has not been centrally tracking extremism in the ranks and doesn’t have a database it can pull information from, Kirby said, adding that having one will be open for discussion. Currently, civilian law enforcement tracks a lot of that.
