The Atlantic

Extremism in the Military Is a Problem

It doesn’t have to be big to be lethal.
Source: JIM WATSON / Getty

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The United States has long been blessed with a civil-military relationship that is a model of democratic and civic stability. Extremism in the ranks, however, is growing—and dangerous.

First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:


Small but Growing

Last month, the U.S. Department of Defense finally released a report on extremism in the American military after a long delay. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had commissioned the study in early 2021, four months after the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, and a contractor, the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), completed its work in the spring of 2022—but the report wasn’t published for more than a year.

The study

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