From Military.com:
“Soldiers Now Face Punishment
for Sharing, Liking Extremist Content on Social Media Under New Army Policy”
Soldiers can be more easily held
accountable for liking and sharing what is considered extremist content on
social media under a new policy revision unveiled by the Army on Wednesday. The
new set of rules also allows disciplinary action -- including being kicked out
of the service -- for knowingly displaying flags and symbols or wearing
clothing associated with radical causes even when off duty.
It is the Army's most significant
move yet to curb such activity in the ranks and to more clearly define what
extremism is and what conduct from soldiers won't be tolerated. The update is
also the latest in a military-wide effort to combat extremist activity that
began after veterans and some service members were among the throngs of
protesters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January 2021 and tried to disrupt
the certification of presidential election results to keep Donald Trump in the
White House. "Active participation in extremist activities can be
prohibited even in some circumstances in which such activities would be
constitutionally protected in a civilian setting," according to the
congressionally mandated memos to the force signed by Army Secretary Christine
Wormuth.
Previously, the Army's guidance
forbade soldiers from participating in extremist activities, but never clearly
defined what extremism is and what activities are prohibited -- leaving
interpretations up to commanders. But the new set of rules more clearly outline
that extremism is broad and includes advocating for widespread unlawful
discrimination based on "race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
gender identity or sexual orientation."
It also more clearly outlines
that supporting the overthrow of the government, in any way, is strictly
prohibited -- a rule that has not been otherwise clearly defined in current
Army policy. Soldiers can face punitive action, including being booted from the
service, losing their security clearance or other adverse actions on their
record. "[This effort] contains key updates in its explanation of active
participation in those activities to add clarity for soldiers and commanders,
and it enhances reporting and training requirements which will be very helpful
in educating the force and fostering a shared understanding on this
topic," Col. Jon Clausen, who oversaw the policy's development, said in a
statement to Military.com.
The Army’s inspector general is also expected to submit quarterly reports to the Army secretary on allegations, active investigations and other data relevant to extremism concerns in the ranks. A Military.com investigation found numerous incidents of extremist activity among service members and veterans in recent years, and experts say the threat is only growing. While troops and veterans are no more or less likely to be radicalized compared to their civilian counterparts, they are more likely to be targeted by extremist groups, particularly among neo-Nazi and anti-government movements. Service members and veterans, experts warn, are seen as force multipliers for those groups -- both for their training background and for bringing legitimacy to those causes.
Pfc. Abram Markofski, an
infantryman in the Wisconsin National Guard, pleaded guilty to charges related
to his involvement in the Jan. 6 pro-Trump assault on the Capitol, but
continued his service in the Guard long after he was sentenced to probation in December
2021. Another Guardsman, Cpl. Jacob Fracker, took selfies of himself in the
Capitol during the assault and admitted to his participation in social media
posts. He pleaded guilty to charges related to partaking in the mob in March
2022 and was sentenced to one year of probation and a fine despite prosecutors
seeking prison time. Guard officials at the time cited unclear regulations on
handling the matter, given Markofski's and Fracker's crimes didn't involve
violence. Gen. Jon Jensen, the top officer for the Army National Guard, told
Military.com in February 2022 that extremist behavior had no place in the
Guard, but stopped short of saying Guardsmen involved in Jan. 6 should be
immediately kicked out of the service component. Both Fracker and Markofski
were kicked out of the Guard in April that year. But the Pentagon has been slow
to adapt.
Part of the problem is extremist
groups continually evolving, rebranding themselves and adopting new symbols and
slogans at a pace sometimes too swift for experts to keep up with. The Pentagon
has also been hesitant to talk about the issue more bluntly even as far-right
groups are seen by law enforcement as a top domestic terror threat, partly
because targeting those groups has been conflated by some conservatives on
Capitol Hill as targeting Republicans. The military had a so-called extremism
stand-down following the attack on the Capitol after it became clear the
participants were partly made up of service members and veterans. But the
Pentagon's tepid response and its tiptoeing around conservative criticism meant
defining and dealing with extremism in the ranks was largely left to commanders
who received virtually no guidance.
In some cases during the
stand-down, soldiers reported that briefings conflated political protests such
as Black Lives Matter with anti-government movements such as the Oath Keepers,
a group whose leaders were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their role in
the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
^ Any American who supports or
takes part in Extremist Actions should be held accountable for their actions.
That is even more so for Americans serving in the US Military.
Hopefully, these new rules will
help weed out Extremism in the Us Military. ^
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