About 100 members of the US military have taken part in some form of “prohibited extremist activity” over the past year, the Pentagon said Monday in presenting its new guidelines for the military.
US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin ordered a review of Pentagon policies on countering extremism in its ranks last February. The announcement came after the revelation of the participation of dozens of former soldiers in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, during which thousands of supporters of Donald Trump had rushed to Congress to prevent American elected officials from certifying the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election.
To read: Extremist and in the army, the explosive cocktail
“The overwhelming majority of men and women in the Department of Defense serve this country with honor and integrity,” said Lloyd Austin, quoted in a statement accompanying the report of a task force on countering extremism. “They respect the oath they have taken to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. We believe that only a very small number of people violate this oath by taking part in extremist activity. ”
Training on prohibited extremist activities recommended
“About 100” members of the US military on active or reserve duty have engaged in prohibited extremist activity over the past year, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. He did not specify the type of activity they had engaged in but cited advocating the overthrow of the government or “internal terrorism” as examples of prohibited practices.
In its new guidelines, the task force does not mention specific extremist groups.
Among its recommendations is increased training for the military on what constitutes prohibited extremist activity. “That includes things like social media guidelines as to what is allowed and what is not,” Kirby said.
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