The Military Confronts Extremism, One Conversation At A Time
On a recent weekday, some three dozen Marines and civilians filed into an auditorium at Henderson Hall, a Marine support center on a hill above the Pentagon.
They were there to talk about extremism in the ranks.
They reviewed their oath to defend against any enemy foreign or domestic, learned about active service members arrested for stockpiling weapons as members of neo-Nazi and other extremist groups, and took part in a wide-ranging discussion that included race, values and how to report suspicious activity.
When Lloyd Austin became defense secretary, he called for these sessions, or "stand downs." These discussions were prompted by the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 following a speech by then-President Donald Trump and the presence there of some military veterans.
More than 300 people at the Capitol that day have been arrested, and around 15% have former military ties, according to an.
