Pentagon's internal fight against rise of extremism in US military
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The Pentagon announces new rule in its fight against the rise of extremism in the US military.
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Men wearing tactical military gear during the Capitol riot on January 6
The Pentagon announced on Monday that it will take new steps in the fight against the "rising appeal of extremist ideas and ideologies in its ranks," according to Axios.
An analysis by NPR found that almost one out of every five people charged with participating in the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, were found to be connected with the US military.
In order to combat extremist ideologies in its ranks, the Pentagon has updated guidance, including interactions on social media.
"Liking something with the intent to promote or endorse the extremist activity would be violative of the policy," Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at a press conference on Monday.
Extremist activity, according to the updated guidelines, includes advocating or participating in violent attacks against the US government and its citizens. This includes support for racist content on social media.
It is worth mentioning that hundreds of supporters of former US President Donald Trump’s stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a bid to overturn his election defeat, battling police in the hallways and delaying the certification of US President-elect Joe Biden’s victory for hours. US Capitol riots ended with four deaths, according to local police.
