Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III briefs the press from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Washington, D.C., Feb. 19, 2021. (DoD Photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders).

By  Gary  Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Friday issued a memorandum announcing the Immediate Actions to Counter Extremism in the military  and the Establishment of the Countering Extremism Working Group (CEWG).  Among the immediate actions is the military departments will add provisions to their service member transition checklists that include training on potential targeting of service members by extremist groups and work with other federal departments agencies to create a mechanism by which veterans have the opportunity to report any potential contact with an extremist group should they chose to do so. 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.  The Pentagon has  acknowledged 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. 

Active Service Members, Military Veterans Among Crowd Storming U.S. Capitol 

(Credit: Wikipedia Commons /  Tyler Merbler /flickr )   Jan. 06, 2021 storming of U.S. Capitol Washington D.C.

Twelve Army National Guardsmen were removed  from  January’s  Presidential Inauguration after extra screening for potential extremists in the ranks. Two were taken off for possible links to extremists groups. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s spokesperson 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.” 

Countering Extremism Working Group:

Led by Bishop Garrison, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense on Human Capital and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the CEWG will oversee the implementation of immediate actions as well as the development of mid-term and long-term recommendations for the continued engagement of this issue. The CEWG will report through the Workforce Management Group (WMG) to the Deputy’s Workforce Council (DWC).  The CEWG will pursue four initial Lines of Effort (LOEs) within subcommittees that receive information from both internal and external Subject Matter Experts as well as coordination and input from the interagency.  

The memorandum for the Immediate Actions to Counter Extremism in the Department and the Establishment of the Extremism Working Group can be found here.