{"id":55497,"date":"2021-02-04T20:41:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T20:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/04\/lawmakers-expect-quick-response-from-pentagon-on-issue-of-military-extremist-ties\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:26:14","slug":"lawmakers-expect-quick-response-from-pentagon-on-issue-of-military-extremist-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/02\/04\/lawmakers-expect-quick-response-from-pentagon-on-issue-of-military-extremist-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers expect quick response from Pentagon on issue of military extremist ties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Members of Congress said they are looking for ways to prevent members of extremist groups<\/a> from joining the military and booting troops with ties to violent ideology, but will wait on new action to see how the new Pentagon leadership deals with the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think [Defense Secretary] Lloyd Austin needs to be given his shot to do that cleanup work,\u201d said Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who will serve as chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Committee<\/a>\u2019s panel on domestic terrorism issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really believe in keeping things inside the chain of command, unless it\u2019s not working, and I just don\u2019t think we\u2019re at that point on the issue of domestic terrorism and white supremacy yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday, Austin announced plans for a 60-day stand-down<\/a> across the military to address the issue of extremism among military service members. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that although leaders believe the number of troops involved in such groups is small, \u201cno matter what it is, it is not an insignificant problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t