I would like tentatively to share the analysis and insights of Ms. Catrina Doxsee, an associate director and associate fellow with the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., and Ms. Michelle Macander, a military fellow with the International Security Program at CSIS.
The January 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol compelled the then-incoming Biden administration to prioritize the issue of domestic extremism.
This came amid growing concern over extremist network efforts to tailor recruitment toward military personnel and an increase in criminal cases involving extremism in the ranks.
Over the past year, the Department of Defense (DOD) has pursued multiple lines of effort to understand, define, and counter domestic extremism among service members.
To mark the one-year anniversary of Defense Secretary Lloyd James Austin III’s April 9, 2021, memorandum outlining initial actions to counter extremism in the department, CSIS assessed the problem of extremism in the military and the actions DOD has taken so far, as well as opportunities for the coming year.
