Report on extremism in military kept from the public for 18 months reveals little

The U.S. Department of Defense is investigating extremism within its ranks in response to revelations of some current and former members’ involvement in the Jan. 6 riots. Experts express hope that the inquiry will be instrumental in addressing internal threats within the military.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an analysis of extremist activity within the military in June of 2022. The results were kept from the public until the recent release, however, the information from the Pentagon may be disappointing to those looking for insight.

In July, a USA Today investigation found little being done to weed out extremists in the military. The 2022 report was released for the first time on Dec. 26, 2023, but it offers almost nothing new in terms of data on the vastness of extremists in the armed forces, according to the USA Today’s investigation.

Instead, the report combines existing data from various sources including the military’s inspector general.

While the authors of the report did examine court-martial judgments to uncover data on extremists, identifying 10 cases, they argue that court-martials only represent a small portion of extremist instances as many cases do not end up in a court-martial.

“Nearly all of these cases were addressed through administrative action, non-judicial punishment, or referral to command for appropriate action,” the report said.

The USA Today reached out to the Institute for Defense Analyses, which conducted the study, but the institute had not responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday, Dec. 27.

While the findings may not be what were initially expected, there are still some conclusions from the research.

Researchers found no evidence that the number of violent extremists in the military is disproportionate to the number in the U.S. population as a whole.

The report also noted that anecdotal accounts of military members’ involvement in extremist events, like the Jan. 6 riots, can create the impression that the military has an extremism problem.

The authors also warned that the Defense Department needs to take care in how it addresses accusations of extremism.

“As the department responds to such events, it should remain cognizant of the fact that violent extremism does not appear to be more prevalent among servicemembers than it is in American society as a whole, and avoid steps that risk unnecessary polarization or division in the ranks,” the report said.

However, the authors did note that “participation in extremist events for former servicemembers appears to be growing.”

The report also recommends the DOD updates the process for managing security clearances, noting that the system is outdated and inadequate.

“DOD’s processes for awarding security clearances, assessing suitability, and granting access to facilities still focus on a significant extent on Cold War threats and threats related to global terrorism rather than the threat of home-grown extremism.”

Additionally, the researchers recommend updating and standardizing security, and suitability questions to ask directly about prohibited extremist activities.

Military security clearance is under intense scrutiny after former Air National Guardsmen Jack Teixeira was charged with posting hundreds of classified documents from an internal server onto Discord.

Also, three active-duty U.S. Marines were charged for their roles in the Jan. 6 riots. All three Marines worked in intelligence, and one was assigned to the National Security Agency headquarters.