{"id":78517,"date":"2024-06-26T15:35:51","date_gmt":"2024-06-26T15:35:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2024\/06\/26\/army-imposes-stricter-rules-for-addressing-extremism-among-troops\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T16:21:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T16:21:49","slug":"army-imposes-stricter-rules-for-addressing-extremism-among-troops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2024\/06\/26\/army-imposes-stricter-rules-for-addressing-extremism-among-troops\/","title":{"rendered":"Army imposes stricter rules for addressing extremism among troops"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Under new rules released by the Army on Wednesday, commanders must ensure troops are trained about off-limits extremist activities<\/a>, take action when they spot extremism in their units and report any incidents to the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rules, which have been in the works for nearly three years, codify the Pentagon\u2019s definition of extremist activities, which was updated in 2021<\/a> to include online interactions that promote terrorism, as well as rallies, fundraising and organizing in support of extremist ideologies. The rules also clarify the responsibilities commanders have to prevent and report extremist activities, and they outline the disciplinary actions commanders can take when soldiers violate those policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth shared the rules Wednesday with all Army commands, service component commands and direct reporting units. In one of two directives signed by Wormuth, she wrote that extremist activities \u201cdamage the nation\u2019s trust and confidence in the Army as an institution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey undermine morale and reduce combat readiness,\u201d Wormuth added. \u201cExtremism calls into question a soldier\u2019s ability to follow orders from, or effectively lead and serve with, persons of diverse backgrounds, and it prevents maximum utilization and development of the Army\u2019s most valuable asset \u2013 its people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new rules are the result of the National Defense Authorization Act approved by Congress in 2021, which ordered Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to establish standard processes to refer allegations of extremist activities to the Inspector General\u2019s office. The law mandated the IG to annually gauge how effectively the Defense Department prevents and responds to extremist activities in the ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congress approved those measures in reaction to the presence of veterans and service members at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. As of May, 222 individuals with military backgrounds had been charged or convicted in connection with the attack<\/a>, and 24 were active-duty service members or members of the National Guard or Reserves, according to data from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To comply with the 2021 law, the IG\u2019s office released annual reports in 2022 and 2023 about the Pentagon\u2019s responses to extremism. Its latest report revealed the Defense Department had investigated 183 allegations of extremist activity among service members in the past year, 37 more than in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the IG also detailed ongoing issues with how the services track and report data<\/a>, which in turn made measuring the military\u2019s response challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe report highlights ongoing challenges in compiling and validating data, emphasizing the need for consistent implementation of data collection,\u201d the IG report states.<\/p>\n\n\n\t