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Military struggles to answer basic question: How many extremists are in its ranks?
By Missy Ryan, Paul Sonne and Razzan Nakhlawi
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faces an early test as he races to advance a major initiative targeting far-right extremism in the military ranks, a challenge that officials acknowledge is complicated by the Pentagon’s lack of clarity on the extent of the threat following the U.S. Capitol riot.
Austin’s highly unusual order for a military-wide “stand-down,” slated to pause normal operations in coming weeks so troops can discuss internal support for extremist movements, underscores the urgency of the task ahead for the retired four-star general, who last month became the nation’s first African American Pentagon chief.
The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, when Trump supporters stormed Congress in an attempt to prevent Biden from taking office, laid bare the appeal of white supremacist and anti-government groups among some veterans and, in smaller numbers, currently serving troops. Among the 190 people charged in the siege, at least 30 are veterans. Three are reservists or National Guard members.
