
<p>Officials at the Defense Department unveiled new protocols for identifying extremism in the Armed Forces this month, noting that discussions with commanders about the new system exposed roughly 100 individuals as having participated in &#8220;extremist&#8221; activities over the past year. ;</p>



<p>Per the new system, service members will face disciplinary action up to removal from the military for participating in groups or events that support the following:</p>



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Terrorism</li><li>Illegal behavior</li><li>Overthrow of the US government</li><li>Discrimination based on race, religion, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation ;</li><li>Violence in the name of politics, religion, discrimination, or ideology ;</li><li>Violence to deprive citizens of Constitutional rights ;</li></ul>



<p><strong>Pentagon officials said they did not plan to monitor service members’ activity on social media but would take action if support for extremist causes or groups is identified. </strong></p>



<p>The effort to root out extremists among the Armed Forces was launched in early 2021 in response to the January 6th riot (an event in which nearly 80 veterans participated). In addition to the protocols mentioned above, the effort includes a new training program for service members and a broad study on extremism in the military. </p>



<p>Republicans oppose the program as a violation of the <em>First Amendment</em>, while Democrats see it as a way to help protect service members from radicalization. Democrats even went so far as to include in their 2022 defense authorization bill a provision that would further outline the Defense Department&#8217;s capacity to remove extremists from its ranks. The provision was dropped from the bill during negotiations with Republicans. ;</p>



<p>Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said he was glad to see the provision removed, noting that the Defense Department is “focused on prohibited activity” and not “a particular ideology, thought, or political orientation.” ;</p>



<p>“The Department has always maintained a distinction between thoughts and actions,” he added. And the new rules are designed to protect freedoms of expression while “balancing the need for good order and discipline.&#8221;</p>



<p><strong>Author&#8217;s Note:</strong> Is Black Lives Matter defined as an extremist group??</p>



<p><strong>Editor&#8217;s Note:</strong> This is the Biden Administration attempting to purge the military of even moderate conservative opinion. Much like Obama did, he will encourage the promotion of officers who are politically in line with the Democrat agenda. The next Republican administration will find a military hostile to its policies, as we saw in the Trump Administration, where the military, CIA, Department of Justice were all be run by Obama supporters. Incompetent, but politically faithful. </p>



<p><strong>Sources:</strong></p>



<p><a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2021/12/20/pentagon-review-finds-few-extremists-in-the-armed-forces/">Pentagon review finds few extremists in the armed forces</a></p>

Pentagon to Study Extremism in the Armed Forces
