Capitol riot prompts a reckoning over extremism in the ranks

"The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we can't do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks."

• By Tom Bowman/NPR

(Washington) — Less than two weeks after hundreds of rioters — including current and former service members — converged on the Capitol and broke through the doors, threatened lawmakers and injured and killed police, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin appeared before a Senate committee for his confirmation hearing.

“The job of the Department of Defense is to keep America safe from our enemies,” he told members of the Armed Services Committee. “But we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks.”

So far, military veterans account for about 15 percent of those criminally charged in the Capitol riot, according to an NPR analysis. Some rioters carried Marine Corps flags. Others dressed as soldiers, while at least one member of the far-right group The Proud Boys told an NPR reporter that he served two tours in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. Historical data has shown a link between military experience and right-wing extremism, and military experience is a prized asset in extremist circles.

Now Defense Secretary Austin has ordered a military-wide, one-day training “stand down” to determine the extent of extremist behavior in the ranks.

At some point in the next two months, Austin wants military leaders to discuss with the troops the importance of their oath of office to support and defend the Constitution, to be aware of any unacceptable behaviors such as advocating violence or active participation in hate or white supremacist groups, and talk about ways to report suspected behavior. Also, he said he wants these discussions to consider possible solutions.

A new urgency

For decades military leaders have dealt with extremists in the ranks, from “skinheads” and neo-Nazis to gangs like MS-13. The senior officers have often said only a tiny fraction of the 2 million men and women in uniform hold these beliefs. But there’s a new urgency following the nationwide rise of far-right groups in recent years. Former President Donald Trump at times seemed to support such groups, while some Republican members of Congress appeared to embrace extremist beliefs.

Austin says he’s trying to determine the scope, and as he said, “sustainable ways” to eliminate it.

Navy leadership revealed that within just the past few weeks there have been separate incidents where “symbols of hate’ were left anonymously in living areas aboard two ships. In one instance an African-American sailor found a noose next to his rack; in another, graffiti on a bathroom wall read, “Nazi life.”