Extremism in the military: ‘Biggest threat to the security of the country.’

Extremism in the military: ‘Biggest threat to the security of the country.’

***In the last five years, at least 82 current and former military service members have been arrested and exposed as harboring far-right, antigovernment, or neo-Nazi ideologies, according to a Globe analysis of court documents, media reports, and studies compiled by independent researchers. (That number excludes the 178 active and former military members arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection.)

Some plotted to kill law enforcement members, torch minority churches, sabotage their own military units, kidnap politicians, and destroy national infrastructure. Others amassed arsenals in preparation for perceived race and civil wars. A handful have fired — at a shopping mall, police officers, and a carful of teenage girls.

It’s not that service members are more likely to be radicalized; it’s that the scattering of extremists in the ranks has extra potential for mayhem: they’ve been trained to kill and they’re more likely to act on it, according to experts reached by the Globe.

In the last five years, at least 82 current and former military service members have been arrested and exposed as harboring far-right, antigovernment, or neo-Nazi ideologies, according to a Globe analysis of court documents, media reports, and studies compiled by independent researchers. (That number excludes the 178 active and former military members arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection.)

Some plotted to kill law enforcement members, torch minority churches, sabotage their own military units, kidnap politicians, and destroy national infrastructure. Others amassed arsenals in preparation for perceived race and civil wars. A handful have fired — at a shopping mall, police officers, and a carful of teenage girls.

It’s not that service members are more likely to be radicalized; it’s that the scattering of extremists in the ranks has extra potential for mayhem: they’ve been trained to kill and they’re more likely to act on it, according to experts reached by the Globe.

“This is the single biggest threat to the security of the country,” said Daryl Johnson, a former Department of Homeland Security analyst, focused on domestic terrorism. “I see this only getting worse. I don’t see it ever getting better in my lifetime.”

“This is the single biggest threat to the security of the country,” said Daryl Johnson, a former Department of Homeland Security analyst, focused on domestic terrorism. “I see this only getting worse. I don’t see it ever getting better in my lifetime.”