华盛顿——五角大楼官员警告说，军队中的极端主义正在增加，周一发布了详细的新规则，禁止服役人员积极参与极端主义活动。新的指导方针出台近一年前，一些现役和退役军人参与了美国国会大厦的骚乱，引发了一场广泛的部门审查。
据五角大楼称，在过去一年中，已知只有不到100名军人参与了经证实的极端主义活动。但是他们警告说，鉴于最近国内暴力极端主义的激增，特别是在退伍军人中，这个数字可能会增加。
官员们表示，新政策并没有在很大程度上改变什么是被禁止的，但更多的是努力确保部队明确他们能做什么和不能做什么，同时仍然保护他们的第一修正案的言论自由权。第一次，它对社交媒体的描述更加具体。
新政策详细列出了被禁止的活动，从鼓吹恐怖主义或支持推翻政府，到为极端组织筹款或集会，或在社交媒体上“喜欢”或转发极端观点。规则还规定，指挥官必须确定两件事才能追究某人的责任:该行动是规则中界定的极端主义活动，以及该服役人员"积极参与"了被禁止的活动。
以前的政策禁止极端主义活动，但没有深入到如此大的细节，也没有规定确定责任人的两步流程。
一位高级国防官员表示:昨天的错误今天仍然是错误的。但几位官员表示，今年一个研究小组与服务人员交谈时发现，许多人希望对哪些是不允许的有更明确的定义。官员们提供了关于这些规则的更多细节，但要求匿名，因为它们没有公开。
军方早就意识到军队中有少数白人至上主义者和其他极端分子。但是国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀和其他领导人发起了一场更广泛的运动，以根除军队中的极端主义，因为很明显，退伍军人和一些现役军人参加了1月6日的叛乱。
奥斯汀周一在给警察的一封信中说，该部门认为，只有少数服役人员违背誓言，参与极端主义活动。但是，他补充道，“即使是少数人的行为也会对部队的凝聚力、士气和战备状态产生巨大的影响，其中一些行为可能造成的身体伤害会破坏我们人民的安全。”
军队中极端主义的风险可能更危险，因为许多军种成员可以获得敏感军事行动的机密信息或其他可能有助于对手的国家安全信息。极端组织经常招募前任和现任军人，因为他们熟悉武器和作战战术。
与包括200多万现役和后备部队在内的军队规模相比，经证实的案件数量可能很少。但是这个数字似乎比前几年有所增加，前几年的总数是两位数。但官员们也指出，数据并不一致，因此很难确定趋势。
新规没有提供极端组织的名单。官员们说，相反，应该由指挥官根据这些定义，而不是根据可能不断变化的团体名单，来确定一名服役人员是否在积极开展极端主义活动。
当被问及军队是否可以简单地成为极端组织的成员时，官员们表示，这些规则实际上禁止以任何有意义的方式成为成员——比如缴纳会费或其他可以被视为“积极参与”的行为。
五角大楼发言人约翰·柯比告诉记者，“在一个团体中，没有太多的成员资格可以让你逃脱惩罚。”他补充道，“为了证明你的会员资格，你可能会违反这些标准中的一条。”
柯比还表示，指挥官会对每个案件进行单独评估，因此，例如，仅仅在一个社交媒体帖子上点击“喜欢”可能不值得根据所有相关情况进行处罚。
他还指出，五角大楼没有能力或愿望积极监控部队的个人社交媒体账户。如果向指挥官报告或通过其他方式被发现，这些问题可能会出现。
该条例列出了六大类极端主义活动，并提供了构成积极参与的14种不同定义。
上任后不久，奥斯汀命令军事领导人安排一个所谓的“停工”日，并花时间与他们的军队谈论军队中的极端主义。
新规定适用于所有军事部门，包括海岸警卫队，在和平时期，海岸警卫队是国土安全部的一部分。它们是根据反极端主义活动工作组的建议制定的。他们做出了区分，例如，军队可能拥有极端主义材料，但他们不能试图分发它们，尽管他们可以观察到极端主义集会，但他们不能参与、资助或支持一个集会。
官员们说，这些规则关注的是行为，而不是意识形态。因此，服务成员有他们想要的任何政治、宗教或其他信仰，但他们的行动和行为受到控制。
除了新规定，五角大楼正在扩大对新兵的筛选，以包括对潜在极端主义活动的更深入观察。有些活动可能不会完全阻止某人参军，但需要仔细观察申请人。
国防部还在扩大对现役军人的教育和培训，特别是那些可能突然被极端组织招募的退役军人。
650多人在1月6日的国会大厦暴动中被指控，包括几十名退伍军人和大约六名现役军人。
Pentagon issues rules aimed at stopping rise of extremism
WASHINGTON -- Warning that extremism in the ranks is increasing, Pentagon officials issued detailed new rules Monday prohibiting service members from actively engaging in extremist activities. The new guidelines come nearly a year after some current and former service members participated in the riot at the U.S. Capitol, triggering a broad department review.
According to the Pentagon, fewer than 100 military members are known to have been involved in substantiated cases of extremist activity in the past year. But they warn that the number may grow given recent spikes in domestic violent extremism, particularly among veterans.
Officials said the new policy doesn't largely change what is prohibited but is more of an effort to make sure troops are clear on what they can and can't do, while still protecting their First Amendment right to free speech. And for the first time, it is far more specific about social media.
The new policy lays out in detail the banned activities, which range from advocating terrorism or supporting the overthrow of the government to fundraising or rallying on behalf of an extremist group or “liking” or reposting extremist views on social media. The rules also specify that commanders must determine two things in order for someone to be held accountable: that the action was an extremist activity, as defined in the rules, and that the service member “actively participated” in that prohibited activity.
Previous policies banned extremist activities but didn't go into such great detail, and also did not specify the two-step process to determine someone accountable.
What was wrong yesterday is still wrong today, said one senior defense official. But several officials said that as a study group spoke with service members this year they found that many wanted clearer definitions of what was not allowed. The officials provided additional details about the rules on condition of anonymity because they were not made public.
The military has long been aware of small numbers of white supremacists and other extremists among the troops. But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other leaders launched a broader campaign to root out extremism in the force after it became clear that military veterans and some current service members were present at the Jan. 6 insurrection.
In a message to the force on Monday, Austin said the department believes that only a few service members violate their oath and participate in extremist activities. But, he added, “even the actions of a few can have an outsized impact on unit cohesion, morale and readiness - and the physical harm some of these activities can engender can undermine the safety of our people.”
The risk of extremism in the military can be more dangerous because many service members have access to classified information about sensitive military operations or other national security information that could help adversaries. And extremist groups routinely recruit former and current service members because of their familiarity with weapons and combat tactics.
The number of substantiated cases may be small compared to the size of the military, which includes more than 2 million active duty and reserve troops. But the number appears to be an increase over previous years where the totals were in the low two-digits. But officials also noted that data has not been consistent so it is difficult to identify trends.
The new rules do not provide a list of extremist organizations. Instead, it is up to commanders to determine if a service member is actively conducting extremist activities based on the definitions, rather than on a list of groups that may be constantly changing, officials said.
Asked whether troops can simply be members of an extremist organization, officials said the rules effectively prohibit membership in any meaningful way — such as the payment of dues or other actions that could be considered “active participation.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that “there's not a whole lot about membership in a group that you're going to be able to get away with." He added, "In order to prove your membership you're probably going to run afoul of one of these criteria."
Kirby also said that commanders will evaluate each case individually, so simply clicking “like” on one social media post, for example, might not merit punishment depending on all the circumstances involved.
He also noted that the Pentagon does not have the ability or desire to actively monitor troops' personal social media accounts. Those issues would likely come up if reported to commanders or were discovered through other means.
The regulations lay out six broad groups of extremist activities and then provide 14 different definitions that constitute active participation.
Soon after taking office, Austin ordered military leaders to schedule a so-called “stand-down” day and spend time talking to their troops about extremism in the ranks.
The new rules apply to all of the military services, including the Coast Guard, which in peacetime is part of the Department of Homeland Security. They were developed through recommendations from the Countering Extremist Activities Working Group. And they make the distinction, for example, that troops may possess extremist materials, but they can’t attempt to distribute them, and while they can observe an extremist rally, they can’t participate, fund or support one.
The rules, said the officials, focus on behavior, not ideology. So service members have whatever political, religious or other beliefs that they want, but their actions and behavior are governed.
In addition to the new rules, the Pentagon is expanding its screening for recruits to include a deeper look at potential extremist activities. Some activities may not totally prevent someone from joining the military, but require a closer look at the applicant.
The department also is expanding education and training for current military members, and more specifically for those leaving the service who may be suddenly subject to recruitment by extremist organizations.
More than 650 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, including dozens of veterans and about a half dozen active duty service members.
