The Pentagon is worried that more members of military groups could take part in extremist activities in the coming years. As such, they laid out clear rules and guidelines to prevent this from happening.
According to reports, less than 100 military members have engaged in extremist activities in the past year. So, following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, they decided to undergo a broad departmental review.
The goal of the Pentagon is to make sure that the troops know what they can and cannot do while still protecting their freedom of speech.
What can military men do and cannot do?
Some of the things that military members can no longer do includes advocating terrorism or supporting the overthrow of the government. They cannot also participate in fundraising activities or participate in rallies organized by extremist groups.
Even the liking or the reposting of extremist views on social media are now prohibited. However, they acknowledged that the Pentagon currently doesn't have a way of monitoring troop members' social media accounts.
So, the only way for them to know that someone violated the social media rules regarding posting and liking extremist messages is through the reports of fellow military personnel.
Pentagon worried after military men participated in the Capitol riot
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other leaders launched efforts to look into extremist activities in the force after some military and current service members took part in the Capitol riot.
Even though investigations confirmed that only a small number of military personnel violated their oath by participating in the riot, Austin still said that what they did was wrong.
"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," Austin said via the Huffington Post.
According to Politico, extremism within the military is risky because they have access to classified information and sensitive military operations. They also have access to national security information that could help the enemies.
However, the Pentagon did not release a complete list of extremist organizations. Instead, they leave the job to the commanders to determine if members of their group are engaging in such activities.
Commanders in charge of evaluating staff's engagements
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that commanders would evaluate the case of their members individually. So, the simple liking of a social media post needs to be assessed before a member can be accused of engaging in extremist activity.
According to The Hill, the new guidelines will feature a two-part test to determine who should be held accountable for their questionable behavior. Further training will also be provided so that service members can be known precisely what they can and cannot do as members of the Pentagon.
The Jan. 6 Capitol riot didn't just pave the way for the Pentagon to develop new guidelines for military personnel. The insurrection has also led to the investigation of ex-President Donald Trump and his possible involvement in the riot.
Related Article: Donald Trump Could Be Charged With a Crime For Allowing Jan. 6 Capitol Riot To Happen; Rep. Kinzinger Says No One Is Above The Law
