Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
I served in the military from 1966-1976, and it never crossed my mind there was white nationalism there. Racism, yes, bigotry, yes. misogyny, OMG yes. But on personal levels. The thought of white supremacy as a political philosophy … well, maybe we were still too close then to having fought and defeated Nazis to consider it. And then, I was never in combat. In other words, my experience doesn’t mean it wasn’t there then – and it certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t there now.
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Americans aren’t worried about white nationalism in the military – because they don’t know it’s there
Bo Zaunders/Corbis Documentary via Getty Images
Jennifer Spindel, University of New Hampshire; Matt Motta, Oklahoma State University, and Robert Ralston, University of Minnesota
White nationalist groups, who make up some of the most serious terror threats in the country, find new members and support in the U.S. military. These groups believe that white people are under attack in America.
In their effort to create an all-white country where nonwhites do not have civil rights protections, these groups often instigate violent confrontations that target racial and religious minorities. Since 2018, white supremacists have conducted more lethal attacks in the United States than any other domestic extremist movement.
The Proud Boys group, for example, whom President Donald Trump addressed in the first presidential debate of 2020, includes veterans and active duty service members. The group’s members, who are required to engage in physical violence before joining, celebrated Trump’s statement to “stand back and stand by,” considering his call an endorsement of their extremist ideology.
While many Americans were appalled at the president’s statement, our research shows that most Americans remain unaware of the connections these groups have to the military.
The links between the U.S. military and white nationalists date back to the 1990s, with many believers seeing military service as an opportunity to hone their fighting skills and recruit others.
Our research has found that most Americans don’t know much about the level of white nationalism in the military – though when they find out, they’re worried about it.
John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
White nationalists active in the military
Researchers do not have reliable data on how many active duty or veteran service members belong to white nationalist groups. But current military members are increasingly aware of the influence of far-right groups in the ranks.
In the most recent poll by Military Times, an independent media organization covering the military, about one-fifth of service members have reported seeing signs of white nationalism or racist ideology in the military community. Those include the casual use of racial slurs and anti-Semitic language, and even explosives deliberately arranged in the shape of a swastika.
More than one-third of service members surveyed in 2018 said white nationalism is a significant threat to the country – which is more than were seriously concerned about threats from Syria, Afghanistan or immigration.
White nationalists with military experience have committed acts of violence, usually after leaving the service – like the 1994 Oklahoma City bombing and the 2012 mass shooting at a Wisconsin Sikh temple.
But active duty personnel have also been involved in white nationalist activity. In July 2018, a white nationalist was dismissed from the Marine Corps for his involvement in hate groups, including attending the 2017 “Unite the Right” protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.
In February 2019, a Coast Guard officer stationed at the agency’s headquarters was arrested and accused of stockpiling weapons as part of a plan to start a race war.
In April 2019, a Huffington Post investigation revealed that at least 11 members of various military branches were under investigation for involvement in a white nationalist group.
In September 2019, an Army soldier who had expressed support for right-wing extremism was arrested after sharing bomb-making instructions with undercover agents. That same month, an Air Force master sergeant who had been involved with a white supremacist group was demoted but allowed to continue serving.
In June 2020, an Army private was charged with terrorism offenses after he leaked sensitive information about his unit to two white supremacist groups, including one that promotes rape and murder as part of its quest for a race war.
Congressional concern
Lawmakers have been paying attention to the problem. In 2019, the House of Representatives approved a requirement to screen potential military enlistees for signs of white nationalism, as part of the Pentagon’s annual budget allocation. But the Senate removed that provision before sending the bill to the White House for the president’s signature.
Military and academic experts agree that violent ideologies in the ranks make it harder for soldiers to form the bonds of trust with one another that they rely on in combat.
If Congress did ban white nationalists from serving in the military, members of white nationalist groups would have a harder time receiving military training. They would also be cut off from an important recruitment network.
American views of white nationalism
We wanted to find out how much the public knew about white nationalism in the military, and what they think about it. So in early May 2019, we conducted a demographically representative survey of 1,702 American adults.
First, we asked respondents how prevalent they thought white nationalism was in the military. Most – 70% – said there were “some” white nationalists on active duty. Another 20% said there were “many.” Just 10% thought there were none.
Then we sought to find out whether people thought it was a problem. To answer that question, we split our respondents into two groups. We asked one half of them whether “white nationalism in the military” is “not a problem,” a “somewhat serious problem” or a “serious problem.” Only 30% of them thought it was a “serious” problem; 47% percent thought it was “somewhat serious” and 23% thought it was “not a problem.”
The other half of the respondents got the same question – but before we asked, we gave them the results of a 2018 Military Times poll finding that “22% of service members … have seen evidence of white nationalism or racist ideology within the armed forces.” Having learned that information, 35% of this group said the problem is “serious” – a statistically significant increase of five percentage points.
After that, we returned to the first group, and gave them the information from the Military Times poll – and found that 39% of them considered the problem “serious.” This nine-point increase was also statistically significant.
We did see an initial political divide among our respondents. People who identified as strong conservatives were less concerned about white nationalism in the military than were strong liberals. But respondents across the political spectrum were willing to update their views, and considered white nationalism a serious problem, once we gave them additional, factual information.
The military is a trusted institution
The American public is deferential to the military, and trusts it as an institution. White nationalist groups and ideologies get a boost of credibility and legitimacy through their links to the U.S. military. Civilians often take cues from the statements and actions of those who served.
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Our work suggests that informing the public about service members’ worries about white nationalism in the military could increase concern among both liberals and conservatives about the growing power of these groups. Increased public concern could create an incentive for policymakers to try to combat white nationalist groups, in the military and in society at large.
Jennifer Spindel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of New Hampshire; Matt Motta, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Oklahoma State University, and Robert Ralston, Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science, University of Minnesota
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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AMT, I absolutely am “concerned” about this. In fact, that is throwing roses at it. (I also find it telling that the Democratic House in 2019 attempted to address this and was overruled by the Republican Senate.) I can see why white supremacists would want to join the military … but those motivations would also be the main reason sane Americans who support the Constitution would NOT want them to be there. I’d say this is something Congress needs to revisit as soon as it is able to pass appropriate legislation.
The Furies and I will be back.
16 Responses to “Everyday Erinyes #235”
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If white nationalist bugnuts are in the military, that means they a) are fairly well-organized and b) have access to military weapons. However, not everybody in uniform is one of these creeps. There are plenty of open-minded whites, to say nothing of Blacks and other “people of color.”
I don’t trust our armed forces too far, and I am more than a little concerned after the FBI exposed that plot to kidnap, and possibly assassinate, Governor Whitmer. If wack jobs were willing to go that far over having to wear masks and social distance, what might others do about other hot-button issues such as abortion, guns, LGBTQ rights, et cetera?
I think their issue went way beyond the mask situation, but what it signifies to them, a resistance to bowing down to their Fuhrer, and the issues he sickly champions.
Holy Shit!
So, what happens if the military is called on to quell a “militia” uprising when /Trump looses?
I’m hoping he gets to do a rally at which he collapses, and later…is no longer president, because he can’t be, and it takes the wind out of the sails of the crazies. Sadly, however, his legacy is going to long be about the continuation of hyped up white supremacy craziness.
Their numbers are small, and it would appear no one in the top brass is among them. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have to start working on getting them out … as soon as we can. One is one too many.
An interesting/scary article, for sure. This wasn’t even a discussion, or even thought of, when I was in. From my perspective, of course.
I would think that those involved in white nationalism (while in the Armed Forces and also discharged personnel) is dangerous, considering the views that they have from friends and reading about this subject. Also the fact that they have been trained in arms, and with combat training. And.. with possible ongoing indoc, now that’s scary, imho.
While this article stands out, this is one incident that I won’t ever forget. While I was in the USNR, after 5 years active duty, I still kept in touch with some gals at USNS RR, PR, and also @Gitmo, Cuba, and found out about this sadly… through a couple of them relaying the incident/details. Here’s the news clip below. So … yes, it’s possible and could get worse as time goes on. The violence never seems to end, at the cost of lives lost, even from years ago. Sad.
Terrorists in Puerto Rico Ambush Navy Bus, Killing 2 and Injuring 10 *NYT* 03/12/79 (d/m/yr)
https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/04/archives/terrorists-in-puerto-rico-ambush-navy-bus-killing-2-and-injuring-10.html
Thank you, Joanne for post.
I forgot to write my last line. Sorry.
And…also lives lost in the wars….
Thanks Joanne–I followed HuffPo on this and seem to recall a number of the 11 were people they brought to the military’s attention and that it was about the same time (not sure of any relationship now) that a military connection to a planned crime (bombing I think) with at least FL involved as a location. Think there was someone who fled to another state, too. The related policy considerations began then. I also remember thinking it related to waivers for past criminal history in some cases (i.e., the crimes were white supremacist/nationalist incidents)–and the data on those waivers by military branch getting shared, too (which included some that would likely contribute to sexual assault statistics within the military, too).
Yet from what I’ve seen this year, it seems like the presence within law enforcement is even greater than the military, where many departments have been getting military training from Israeli organizations. And lots of relationships between the constitutional sheriffs’ movement and such militias. And given the greater contact residents have with law enforcement vs. military across the country, a likely factor in why people trust police less than they trust the military, especially persons of color.
Updating with a story on the failed Whitmer kidnapping, specifically how it was investigated and what was learned.
https://theconversation.com/lessons-from-embedding-with-the-michigan-militia-5-questions-answered-about-the-group-allegedly-plotting-to-kidnap-a-governor-147876
Come 11/3/20, Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys and military folks consorting is probably my biggest fear.
Mine too. But I’m also nervous about anything which contributes or might contribute to that.
Excellent, though unsettling article, Joanne.
Like so much other covert nastiness such as racism and misogynism, white nationalism has become overt in the US with encouragement of Trump and Republicans.
That it not only condoned but encouraged in American society has been made very clear by Trump’s recent actions, but the fact that the Senate removed the provision to screen potential military enlistees for signs of white nationalism before sending the bill to the White House for the president’s signature in 2019 tells a tale all on its own. Trump would not have signed it otherwise and it certainly leaves the impression that both Republicans and Trump were preparing to hold on to power, backed by the military if necessary.
The increase of white nationalism in the military has been a steady process over the years and it has the tendency to infect soldiers of allied forces America works with. In July the ABC published an article on Australian soldiers signaling with a confederate flag in Afghanistan in 2012. The comment of the Aussie military was that the Aussies were (probably) ignorant and stupid and they must have been given this flag by Americans whom they were working with. “More likely than not this flag was given to them by an American unit.”
Great one, as always, JD!
White Nationalism is riding the back of Republican Supply-side pseudo-Christianity to propagandize our troops with Republican National Socialism.
C. S. Lewis was upset enough in his day when people were using “Christisn” to mean “a nice person.” Now that they are using it tomean “Nazi,” I wonder whether anyone is tracking earthquakes in Oxford, where he is buried.
Great article that certainly brings attention to evil ones who have been making lots of news recently.
I was never aware that these White Nationalists were mixed within our military.
Sure makes sense why they would… to get their hands on training, plus guns and other combat gear.
Scares me to read what Lona wrote regarding the Senate removing the provision to screen potential military enlistees for signs of white nationalism and that tRump signed it in 2019.
I honestly hope if tRump gets voted out on Nov. 3 that come January there won’t be problems getting him out of office. Hopefully a lot of his rotten R’s will get voted out of their seats, so we can start the New Year off in a peaceful/safer mode. We’ve had enough of evil hatred being preached by tRump and his cronies.
Thanks Joanne