{"id":1139262,"date":"2021-12-21T20:04:29","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T01:04:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1139262"},"modified":"2021-12-21T20:04:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T01:04:31","slug":"pentagon-finds-fewer-than-100-troops-engaged-in-extremist-activity-in-past-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-finds-fewer-than-100-troops-engaged-in-extremist-activity-in-past-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon Finds &#039;Fewer than 100&#039; Troops Engaged in Extremist Activity in Past Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpentagon-finds-fewer-than-100-troops-engaged-in-extremist-activity-in-past-year%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1139262&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/us-soldier-salute-american-flag-file-getty.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">A year-long Biden Pentagon effort to identify extremists in the military found that \u201cfewer than 100\u201d service members out of a 2.1 million-member force engaged in \u201cprohibited extremist activity\u201d over the past year.<\/p>\n<p>The long-awaited official estimate was released in a <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2021\/Dec\/20\/2002912573\/-1\/-1\/0\/REPORT-ON-COUNTERING-EXTREMIST-ACTIVITY-WITHIN-THE-DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE.PDF\">report<\/a> on Monday that summarized the results of the effort by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Before the report, Pentagon officials said they did not know how many \u201cextremists\u201d were in the military or what the definition of \u201cextremist\u201d was, but Austin launched an effort to root them out after a handful of troops and dozens more veterans participated in the January 6 Capitol protests.<\/p>\n<p>The report released on Monday still does not provide a definition of \u201cextremist,\u201d but expands on prohibited activity and what constitutes \u201cactive participation\u201d in support of extremism, which includes social media activity.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, Department of Defense instruction 1325.06 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esd.whs.mil\/Portals\/54\/Documents\/DD\/issuances\/dodi\/132506p.pdf\">said<\/a>:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<div class=\"page\" title=\"Page 9\">\n<div class=\"layoutArea\">\n<div class=\"column\" readability=\"11\">\n<blockquote readability=\"15\">\n<p>Active participation includes, but is not limited to, fundraising; demonstrating or rallying; recruiting, training, organizing, or leading members; distributing material (including posting online); knowingly wearing gang colors or clothing; having tattoos or body markings associated with such gangs or organizations; or otherwise engaging in activities in furtherance of the objective of such gangs or organizations that are detrimental to good order, discipline, or mission accomplishment or are incompatible with military service.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esd.whs.mil\/Portals\/54\/Documents\/DD\/issuances\/dodi\/132506p.PDF?ver=rdWZ4JDtL4sntI4jGjJgyA%3D%3D\">updated instruction<\/a> adds that \u201cactive participation\u201d includes \u201cdisplaying paraphernalia, words, or symbols\u201d on flags, clothes, tattoos, bumper stickers, or online activity such as posting, liking, sharing, re-tweeting content \u201cwith the intent to promote or otherwise endorse extremist activities\u201d:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"25\">\n<p>\u2026<\/p>\n<p>(k) When using a government communications system and with the intent to support extremist activities, knowingly accessing internet web sites or other materials that promote or advocate extremist activities.<br \/>(l) Knowingly displaying paraphernalia, words, or symbols in support of extremist activities or in support of groups or organizations that support extremist activities, such as flags, clothing, tattoos, and bumper stickers, whether on or off a military installation.<br \/>(m) Engage in electronic and cyber activities regarding extremist activities, or groups that support extremist activities \u2013 including posting, liking, sharing, re-tweeting, or otherwise distributing content \u2013 when such action is taken with the intent to promote or otherwise endorse extremist activities. Military personnel are responsible for the content they publish on all personal and public Internet domains, including social media sites, blogs, websites, and applications.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The new instruction does not define which organizations or groups are considered extremist. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the omission was by design, since groups often change and not everyone who participates in extremist activity is part of a group.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeeping it to a group dynamic would actually limit our ability to deal with the issue,\u201d Kirby said during a press briefing on Monday. He added that there was also no federal list of groups, and it would be inappropriate for the Pentagon to establish one.<\/p>\n<p>The instruction also does not outline what \u201cparaphernalia, words, or symbols\u201d are \u201cin support of extremist activities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Breitbart News first <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/02\/04\/exclusive-special-forces-warned-against-using-pepe-the-frog-iiiers-other-extremist-symbols\/\">exclusively reported<\/a>&nbsp;in February that Special Forces commanders at Fort Bragg were warned against using \u201cPepe the Frog\u201d or the Three Percenter logo popular among service members and veterans.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>In regards to \u201cliking\u201d a social media post, Kirby argued that \u201cliking\u201d amounted to \u201cadvocating.\u201d Kirby continued:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"17\">\n<p>The physical act of liking is, of course, advocating, right? And advocating for extremist groups that certainly, you know, groups that advocate in the violating the oath to the Constitution, the overthrow of the government, terrorist activities, liking is an advocation, and that\u2019s laid out clear in the instruction.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>He denied anyone would be monitoring troops\u2019 social media activity, saying it referred to cases that come \u201cto light,\u201d adding:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"18\">\n<p>There\u2019s no monitoring. This is not \u2014 it\u2019s not about monitoring. There\u2019s no methodology in here. There\u2019s no intent. We don\u2019t even \u2014 there\u2019s no ability for the Department of Defense to monitor the personal social media content of every member of the armed forces. And even if there was, that\u2019s not the intent here.<\/p>\n<p>What we\u2019re talking about is a case where, for instance, it came to light that an individual on social media openly advocated, forwarded, encouraged the dissemination of prohibited extremist material. That would have to come to light through various streams of reporting. It wouldn\u2019t be something that the command or the department\u2019s going to be actively fishing for.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Asked specifically if a service member liking a post that says \u201cJoe Biden is not the president\u201d would be considered extremism, Kirby declined to say.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not going to get into specific hypotheticals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Kirby insisted it had nothing to do with personal or political views.&nbsp;\u201cThis isn\u2019t about political leanings or partisan inclinations. It\u2019s about activity. It\u2019s about prohibited extremist activity and active participation in that activity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But, he added, \u201cIf you are advocating for the overthrow of the government, if you\u2019re advocating for the use of violence or force against an individual or a group based on who that individual is or that group is, I mean, it\u2019s all in here. If you\u2019re advocating for domestic terrorism, if you\u2019re advocating for, as I said, the overthrow of the government, or you\u2019re actively undermining the oath you took to the Constitution to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, then all that fits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Follow Breitbart News\u2019s Kristina Wong on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/kristina_wong\">Twitter<\/a>&nbsp;or on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kristinawongreporting\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A year-long Biden Pentagon effort to identify extremists in the military found that \u201cfewer than 100\u201d service members out of a 2.1 million-member force engaged in \u201cprohibited extremist activity\u201d over &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1139262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1139262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1139262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1139262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1139262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1139262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}