DOD's 'Military Extremism' Investigation Is a Dud

A new Department of Defense report purporting to study the extent of "extremism" inside the Armed Forces has found no evidence the military has any more of an "extremism" problem than the society from which it draws recruits. According to the report:

[Institute for Defense Analyses’s] review found no evidence that the number of violent extremists in the military is disproportionate to the number of violent extremists in the United States as a whole, although there is some indication that the rate of participation by former service members is slightly higher and may be growing. IDA also found no evidence of violent extremist behavior by DOD civilians. The participation in violent extremist activities of even a small number of individuals with military connections and military training, however, could present a risk to the military and to the country as a whole.

This project started shortly after Lloyd Austin was confirmed as Secretary of Defense. On February 3, 2021, Austin ordered a 60-day "stand down" in the Department of Defense to "address the challenge of extremism in the ranks."

Still, Austin said in the meeting with military leaders that while the numbers may be small, they are not as small as anyone would like. "No matter what it is, it is … not an insignificant problem and has to be addressed," Kirby said during a press gaggle in the Pentagon.
The stand down will occur over the next 60 days, Kirby said. This is so "each service, each command and each unit can take the time out to have these needed discussions with the men and women of the force," he said.

In an April 9, 2021 memo, Austin inaugurated his "Immediate Actions to Counter Extremism in the Department and the Establishment of the Countering Extremism Working Group (CEWG)." One of its four requirements was:

Commission of Extremism Study: The Department will commission a study on extremist behavior within our Total Force, to include gaining greater fidelity on the scope of the problem.

This was driven by media reports of veterans involved in the January 6 protests on Capitol Hill that gave the impression that the protests featured a large number of military personnel and veterans.

The study showed that the number of veterans charged with January 6 "crimes" was statistically insignificant compared to their presence in the general population.

Anecdotal accounts of military participation in violent extremist events, like the events of Jan. 6, 2021, draw public attention and may create the impression that the military has 'an extremism problem. Such accounts magnify the actions of a few and provide little information on the overall scope of the problem.

While the findings are something of a nothingburger to anyone with any knowledge of the Armed Forces, the process, I think, tells us quite a bit.

This study was completed in June 2022 and only saw the light of day after repeated Freedom of Information Act requests by USAToday. USAToday isn't terribly happy with the findings as they were one of the outlets pushing the narrative of a racist and extremist military.

Why the report was sandbagged is pretty apparent. Austin and his catchfarts made a big deal out of "extremism" in the ranks, to the extent of mandating a "stand down" to combat "extremism," and a 200+ page report from the Department of Defense's in-house think tank calls the idea nuts.

My own personal opinion is that Austin also brought into office with him a belief that the Armed Forces were racist and filled with white supremacists and militia members, and January 6 gave him the tool he needed to lower the boom. I think an in-depth analysis can draw a line from Austin's pet boogeyman, the discouraging of rural whites from enlisting, and the recruiting and retention crisis the services are undergoing.

I'm equally certain that this report is not the last word on the issue. Austin invested too much of his limited prestige in rooting out "extremism," and he's not going to tolerate looking like an ass. This report being made public will almost certainly set off a new round of investigations looking for "extremism" and defining "extremism" in a way that will guarantee that plenty of it is found.