FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISM IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES: DEFINING THE PROBLEM AND PROPOSING SOLUTIONS
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Authors
Haskins, Ian A.
Subjects
far-right extremism
FRE
U.S. armed forces
Department of Defense
DOD
FRE
U.S. armed forces
Department of Defense
DOD
Advisors
Halladay, Carolyn C.
Date of Issue
2023-12
Date
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
Far-right extremism (FRE) was on full display during the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. As concerning as this event was, a bigger concern is that a relatively large contingent of those who participated in the attack were active-duty service members and veterans. There is a long history of service members being involved in FRE. The aftermath of the U.S. Civil War saw the Ku Klux Klan come to being. Today, there is still a presence of FRE in the U.S. armed forces, illustrating that efforts undertaken by the Department of Defense (DOD) to fully eradicate FRE from its ranks has not gone according to plan. Every year there continues to be reports of service members being arrested, jailed, or separated from service for participating in prohibited extremist activity. In spite of sporadic efforts to counter extremism, the attack on the Capitol seems to have been the culminating event that triggered the DOD to act on a more massive scale. Even with the changes the DOD has already made, there are further solutions they should consider implementing that are actively being promoted by the academic community. These solutions include expanded screenings, the establishment of an extremism database, and extremism task force units embedded within each of the service branches. FRE harms good order and discipline throughout the U.S. armed forces. Nothing short of the complete eradication of extremism from the U.S. armed forces should be accepted.
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Thesis
Description
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Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
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NPS Report Number
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Distribution Statement
Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
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This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.