Senate Armed Services Committee Calls For Halt to Army’s Anti-Extremism Program

Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Chairman Angus King, who tipped the vote in favor of Republican language calling for a halt to anti-extremism efforts in the military – Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Research & Trends in Extremism

Senate Armed Services Committee Calls For Halt to Army’s Anti-Extremism Program

Article Source: Roll Call Extremism Roundup 2022-07-28

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 27: Senate Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Chairman Angus King (I-ME) listens to testimony about the Department of Energy's atomic energy defense activities and Department of Defense nuclear weapons programs FY 2023 budget in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on April 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Biden Administration has requested a 3-percent increase in the budget for nuclear modernization, missile defense, and research and development. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the Pentagon placed a major focus on countering extremism in the military, and a working group was set up to tackle the issue.
The group reported in December 2021 that it had found 100 cases of extremism in a total military force of over 2 million people — or .005 percent.
In February, the army reported that it had spent $500,000 on the issue.
“Spending additional time and resources to combat exceptionally rare instances of extremism in the military is an inappropriate use of taxpayer funds,” committee report says.