Countering Violent Extremism in the US Military

Speaker(s): Helmus, T. (RAND)

Date: 9 February 2022

Speaker Session Summary

SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Todd C. Helmus (Senior Behavioral Scientist, RAND) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series.

There is a long history of US military personnel being targeted for recruitment by extremist organizations: even dating back to the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan. Both retired and active soldiers are targets for recruitment primarily because of their leadership experience and weapons training. Dr. Helmus commented that Neo-Nazi organizations have even recently rebranded themselves to directly appeal to former and current military members. He acknowledged that while half of service members who are part of a minority group have experienced racism, researchers do not know how prevalent or widespread extremist views are within active military personnel. Further research is needed to understand the prevalence of extremism and how it manifests itself within the armed forces’ individual units.

The research team from RAND identified an early, middle, and late phase for intercepting, addressing, and helping those exposed to extremist views. Preemptively warning military personnel and giving them examples of targeted disinformation was an effective tool for preventing recruitment by extremist organizations. Increasing media literacy among personnel is also an effective tool for combating racism, as well as general defense against disinformation. Other early phase intervention tools included a) the use of social media, b) education and awareness campaigns, and c) community resilience exercises. The middle phase relies heavily on law enforcement training and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. While early and middle phase interventions were discussed, Dr. Helmus commented that the DoD has limited options for late phase interventions.

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