Congressional Testimony
Alarming Incidents of White Supremacy in
the Military—How to Stop It?
Mark Pitcavage
Senior Research Fellow, Center on Extremism
ADL (Anti-Defamation League)

Hearing before the House Armed Services Committee
Subcommittee on Military Personnel

Washington D.C.
February 11, 2020

Working to stop the defamation of theJewish people and to secure justice andfair treatment to all since 1913

Chairwoman Speier, Ranking Member Kelly, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee:
thank you on behalf of the Anti-Defamation League for the opportunity to testify before you
today.
Since 1913, the mission of ADL has been to “stop the defamation of the Jewish people and tosecure justice and fair treatment to all.” For decades, ADL has fought against bigotry and antiSemitism by monitoring and exposing extremist groups and movements who spread hate andcommit acts of violence. Through our Center on Extremism, widely recognized as a leading
authority on combating extremism, terrorism and hate in the United States, ADL plays aprominent role in exposing extremist movements and activities, while helping communities andgovernment agencies alike to combat them. ADL’s team of experts, analysts, and investigators
track and disrupt extremist and terrorist activity, and provide law enforcement officials and the
public with extensive resources, including analytic reports on extremist trends. We also offer
unique resources, such as the Hate on Display Hate Symbols Database1, which identifies
symbols used by extremists, and the Hate, Extremism, Anti-Semitism and Terrorism (HEAT)™
Map, an online tool that provides details on extremist and anti-Semitic incidents nationwide thatcan be filtered by region and type.2
For decades, ADL has been proud to work closely with a variety of military personnel from all
the services on numerous issues. ADL has, upon request, provided trainings or briefings related
to extremism, terrorism and hate crimes for force protection officers, military police, prosecutors,
recruiters, Equal Opportunity personnel, and the military’s criminal investigative organizations,
including the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) , the Army’s Criminal
Investigation Command (CID) , and the Navy’s Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
We have assisted with investigations and provided intelligence on potential extremists in the
Armed Forces. And every year, we conduct Law Enforcement and Society training for thecommand staff of the US Army CID/Provost Marshal General, which focuses on the lessons of
the Holocaust for law enforcement. We have been honored to assist the men and women
working so dedicatedly to protect all Americans.
Extremists and the Military: The Nature of the Problem
Extreme social, political and religious movements pose many problems for the societies in which
they are active, particularly when such movements engage in criminal or violent means toachieve their goals. ADL has long understood that adherents of extreme causes, such as thewhite supremacist movement, pose special problems when allowed to exist within key
institutions dedicated to protecting the people of the United States. These institutions include
first responders, law enforcement, and the military.

1Anti-Defamation League, Hate on DisplayTM Hate Symbols Database, (https://www.adl.org/education-andresources/resource-knowledge-base/hate-symbols).
2
Anti-Defamation League, ADL H.E.A.T. Map: Hate, Extremism, Anti-Semitism, Terrorism(https://www.adl.org/heat-map).

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The unchecked presence of extremists in the military has already led to serious negative
consequences for the services themselves as well as for the country and could again. These
include:● Physical harm to service members and/or civilians as a result of hate crimes or otherviolence by extremist military personnel. The shooting spree committed by Major
Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood, Texas, in November 2009, which killed 13 people and injured
more than 30 others, is a sobering example of the severity of this potential threat.3● Illegal activities such as the theft of military equipment. Over the years, many
extremist movements have viewed the military as a potential source of weaponry andequipment to be appropriated for arming and equipping themselves or for sale. In 2006,
to give just one example, ADL provided evidence to the Army that a white supremacist in
the 82nd Airborne Division was stealing military equipment. That person and anothersoldier were arrested in 2007, charged with selling stolen government property, including
body armor and medical supplies, to an undercover FBI agent. At the time of their arrest,
they were actually planning to steal a 105mm artillery piece. 4● Security breaches. Extremists also pose security risks, as they may convey military
information to individuals or groups fighting for their cause. This was the case with
Specialist Ryan Anderson of the Washington State National Guard, currently serving alife sentence for trying to provide information to Al Qaeda. Anderson’s interests in
extremism started with the right-wing militia movement but eventually moved tosympathy with Al Qaeda. 5● Harm to morale, unit cohesion and personnel retention. The presence of known
extremists in a unit can be disruptive to morale and effectiveness. Moreover, service
members who are members of racial, ethnic or religious minorities are less likely to stayin the military if they have negative experiences as a result of the behavior of extremists
such as white supremacists. There is evidence that service members today areencountering such extremists. In 2017, the Military Times conducted a survey of over
1,100 service members that suggested that one in four had seen “examples of whitenationalism” among their fellow service members. In 2019, they repeated the survey andfound the percentage had risen to more than one in three. 6● Harm to recruiting efforts. Members of those same minority communities are lesslikely to consider enlistment if they believe that the services are a haven for extremists.
“Nidal Hasan Email Correspondence with Al-Awlaki Released,” Anti-Defamation League, August 1, 2012(https://www.adl.org/blog/nidal-hasan-email-correspondence-with-al-awlaki-released).
4
Kevin Maurer, “Soldiers charged with equipment thefts,” Fayette Observer, June 22, 2007; “2 paratroopers
charged with selling drugs, stolen equipment,” WRAL.com, June 21, 2007,(https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1522034/).
5
Eli Sanders, “Guardsman Given Life in Prison for Trying to Help Al Qaeda,” The New York Times, September 4,
2004, (https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/04/us/guardsman-given-life-in-prison-for-trying-to-help-al-qaeda.html).
6
Leo Shane III, “One in four troops sees white nationalism in the ranks,” Military Times, October 23, 2017,(https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/10/23/military-times-poll-one-in-four-troops-seeswhite-nationalism-in-the-ranks/); Leo Shane III, “Signs of white supremacy, extremism up again in poll of activeduty troops,” Military Times, February 6, 2020, (https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagoncongress/2020/02/06/signs-of-white-supremacy-extremism-up-again-in-poll-of-active-duty-troops/)
3

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● Harm to mission success. In an era when the U.S. military is engaged in missions
around the world, the negative actions of extremist service members may be directly
counterproductive to mission success or may become fodder for propagandists of nations
unfriendly to the United States. For example, Russian English-language propaganda
outlet RT.com (short for Russia Today), which has a history of promoting divisivenesswithin and negative impressions of the United States, has publicized racism and white
supremacy in the U.S. military. 7
The military's unique command structure makes the need for leadership in rejecting extremism
and bigotry essential. Instructors, officers, and upper class cadets have virtually absolutecommand authority over their students and subordinates, creating a unique potential for undue
pressure on an individual to conform—or not to complain or report bigotry or race-based
intimidation—in order not to jeopardize his or her military career. Conversely, commanders
have an outsized ability to address problems within their ranks before they escalate and to
discipline or separate those who participate in extremist behavior .
It is in the interests of both the American people as well as the military services themselves that
extremists and extremist activity not be tolerated in the ranks.
Right-Wing Extremists and the U.S. Military
Different types of extremists have posed problems for the U.S. military at different times, but formuch of the past century it is the presence of right-wing extremists in the officer corps andparticularly in the enlisted ranks that has been the most consistent type of extremistrelated problem experienced by the services.
Further, while there are many extreme right-wing causes in the United States, white supremacists
have posed the greatest challenges to the U.S. military. There are numerous white supremacist
movements alone in the United States, ranging from neo-Nazis to the alt right. Over the pastquarter-century, the anti-government extremist militia movement, including its Three Percenter
and Oath Keeper wings, has also come to be a significant challenge that should be addressed by
the military. Indeed, the Oath Keepers explicitly seek to recruit military personnel to their cause.
Finally, the past 20 years have also seen the rise of virulent anti-Muslim extremism, which has
made some inroads into the military as well. 8
Examples include “Many US troops say they encounter racism in the ranks – poll,” RT.com, October 24, 2017,(https://www.rt.com/usa/407676-quarter-us-soldiers-white-nationalism/); “National guardsman gave Florida Nazigroup combat trainings to prepare for ‘race war,’” RT.com, August 13, 2012, (https://www.rt.com/usa/guardsmanwhite-group-supremacist-585/); and “Nazi extremists infiltrate US military,” RT.com, August 21, 2012,(https://www.rt.com/usa/military-extremist-supremacist-page-231/), among others.
8
On the different movements of the extreme right, see Mark Pitcavage, “Surveying the Landscape of the American
Far Right,” George Washington University Program on Extremism, August 2019,(https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/Surveying%20The%20Landscape%20of%20the%20America
n%20Far%20Right_0.pdf). For the Oath Keepers, see “The Oath Keepers: Anti-Government Extremists Recruiting
Military and Police,” Anti-Defamation League, 2015,(https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/The-Oath-Keepers-ADL-Report.pdf).
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ADL has expressed concern about the issue of right-wing extremists in the military for someyears. In July 2009, ADL wrote to then-Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates specifically tourge the Secretary “to take appropriate measures to deal with the problem of extremists within
the ranks of our armed forces.” Over the previous three years, ADL had reported 72 suspected
white supremacists to the various branches, including thirty-eight in the Army, two in the Army
National Guard, four in the Navy, nineteen in the Marine Corps, two in the Air Force, and one in
the Coast Guard, as well as six with an indeterminate service branch. ADL advocated “arenewed emphasis and increased attention to this issue.”9Today, ten years later, the need to comprehensively address this issue has grown even greater.
The problem exists primarily in two forms: 1) people with extreme ideologies who attempt tojoin one of the military services; and 2) personnel already serving who join or become
sympathetic to an extremist movement. While the number of service members who haveextreme ideologies is certainly a small fraction of the overall number of personnel, suchindividuals can cause harm far disproportionate to their number. Moreover, both the number ofextremist personnel and the problems they cause tend to increase during upswells of right-wing
extremism in the broader society.
Historians have traced problems related to right-wing extremism in the military back to wellbefore World War II, when officers such as Major General George Van Horn Moseley, a Deputy
Chief of Staff of the Army, actively promoted anti-Semitic and white supremacist views within
the U.S. Army officer corps. In the years before World War II, Moseley wanted refugees fleeing
Nazi persecution in Europe—most of whom were Jews—to be sterilized before being admitted
by the United States, claiming “only that way can we properly protect our future.”10
The services at the time were segregated, as they had been since the Civil War, and some officers
opposed the move to desegregate the Armed Forces that began after World War II. One Air
Force officer predicted that some officers, like himself, would be court-martialed for theiropposition to desegregation. In fact, the integration of the military branches from 1946-1954
proved to be a success story, though it took longer for the National Guard to be integrated andfor other key anti-discrimination measures to be implemented.11

9

Glen S. Lewy and Abraham H. Foxman to The Honorable Robert M. Gates, July 29, 2009.
Joseph W. Bendersky, The “Jewish Threat”: Anti-Semitic Politics of the U.S. Army, New York (Basic Books,
2000), 250.
11
Glenn Feldman, Politics, Society and the Klan in Alabama, 1915-1949, Tuscaloosa (University of Alabama Press,
1999), 287. On desegregation of the military in general, see Morris J. MacGregor, Jr., Integration of the Armed
Forces, 1940-1965, Washington, D.C. (Center of Military History, 1981). ADL supported the integration of themilitary and related measures, such as providing integrated education for the children of military personnel; seeMorton Puner, “The Armed Forces: An Integration Success Story,” Anti-Defamation League Bulletin, November
1962.
10

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Despite this success, there were officers in the military who continued to promote extremist
views, including to the troops. In the late 1950s, Major General Edwin Walker distributed rightwing literature to soldiers under his command and accused prominent public figures of loyalty tocommunism. The subsequent scandal resulted in a court martial and his resignation from theArmy. Walker then became a leader in the far right, promoting white supremacy and conspiracy
theories—as did a number of other high-ranking officers after their retirement, including Rear
Admiral John Crommelin, Jr., Lieutenant General Edward Almond of the Army, and Lieutenant
General Pedro del Valle of the Marine Corps, among others. 12
It was following the Civil Rights Era, however, that the patterns emerged that to this day shape
the issue of white supremacists and other right-wing extremists in the military. Since the 1980s,
American society has experienced periodic upsurges in right-wing extremism. These surges
occurred in the early-to-mid 1980s, in the mid-to-late 1990s, and during the period of 2008-2011.
The United States is currently experiencing the fourth such resurgence of right-wing extremism,
which began in 2015.
During each of these upswings in extremism, the military services experienced increased
extremist activity within their ranks, in part because these surges typically cause an increase in
the number of newly radicalized young white males, some of whom may join the military. The
increased extremist presence eventually leads to major criminal incidents, sometimes including
extreme violence. Following such scandals, the services have sometimes made partial reforms toaddress extremist-related issues, without adopting comprehensive approaches.
During the early-to-mid 1980s surge of right-wing extremism, white supremacists took an active
part in the military. From 1980 to 1982, for example, some active-duty soldiers from Fort Hoodjoined the Texas Emergency Reserve, a large paramilitary group established by two Ku Klux
Klan groups in order to harass and intimidate immigrant Vietnamese fishermen in Southeast
Texas. In 1987, two soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg donned masks to tie two fellow soldiers to atree and steal their rifles as part of a large military-equipment-theft ring operated by white
supremacists. When federal agents solved the case in 1990, they found a large cache of military
weapons and explosives, including what one ATF official described as “enough military
explosives to destroy a city block.”
Nor is this merely ancient history; the ringleader of this cell, Sergeant Michael Tubbs, decades
later became one of the ringleaders of the violent white supremacist protests in Charlottesville,
Virginia, in 2017. Indeed, Tubbs is currently a defendant in a federal lawsuit in Virginia arisingout of those protests, Sines v. Kessler, that ADL is helping to support and in which our Center on
Extremism has provided expert input. The Sines plaintiffs, who suffered various injuries, havesued Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi groups, and other associated white supremacists, including
Tubbs, currently a leader of the white supremacist group League of the South, for conspiring toengage in violence against racial minorities and their supporters. While ultimate resolution
12

On Walker, Crommelin, and del Valle, see Clive Webb, Rabble Rousers: The American Far Right in the Civil
Rights Era, Athens (University of Georgia Press, 2010, 103-150).

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awaits another day, the court has held that the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that thedefendants formed a conspiracy to commit the racial violence that led to the plaintiffs’ varied
injuries.13
Following scandals in the 1980s involving military-related white supremacist incidents,
Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger issued a directive prohibiting military members from
actively participating in white supremacist groups. Prior to that, there was no such prohibition;in the late 1970s, a Navy spokesperson even said Klan membership was “no more illegal thanmembership in the Elks.”14
The 1980s surge also provides a cautionary tale of the potential consequences of failure to deal
with the issue of extremism in the ranks. During the 1980s, so many right-wing extremists
joined state defense forces—small state-run military forces allowed by federal law—that someunits became controlled by extremists. In 1984, Texas had to disband a unit of its State Guard
because of the activities of extremists. In 1987, Utah dismantled its state defense force after
discovering that some members were providing training for Aryan Nations and engaging in othersimilar activities. In Ohio, some state defense force members broke away from the force to form
their own private militia—which still exists today. 15
In the mid-to-late 1990s, the U.S. experienced another surge of right-wing extremism, propelled
not only by an upswing in white supremacy but also the rise of anti-government extremism in theform of the new militia movement. For the first time, the Internet helped play a role in the
spread of extremist ideology. Both white supremacists and anti-government extremists enlarged
their presence in the military services. Once more, problems such as theft increased; in 1997, forexample, three New Hampshire militia members, one an Army reservist, were convicted ofstealing $100,000 in military equipment from Fort Devens. But the most serious incident
occurred in 1995, when two active-duty soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg—both white
Anti-Defamation League, “Ku Klux Klan Paramilitary Activities: Report to National Executive Committee AntiDefamation League of B'nai B'rith, Oct. 12-26, 1980, Dallas, Texas,” New York (Anti-Defamation League, 1980);“2 Soldiers and 2 Civilians Arrested in Theft of Huge Weapons Cache,” Associated Press story as published in The
New York Times, November 19, 1980 (https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/19/us/2-soldiers-and-2-civilians-arrestedin-theft-of-huge-weapons-cache.html); Kathleen Belew, Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement andParamilitary America, Cambridge, Mass. (Harvard University Press, 2018), 135-137; Trymaine Lee, “The Other
Michael Tubbs: Two Men, Two Radically Different Paths,” NBCNews.com, August 29, 2017(https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/other-michael-tubbs-two-men-two-radically-different-paths-n794901);“League of the South (LOS) [Backgrounder],” Anti-Defamation League,(https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/league-of-the-south-los); Brad Kutner, “Civil Lawsuit Against
Charlottesville Rally Organizers Can Move Forward,” Courthouse News Service, July 10, 2018,(https://www.courthousenews.com/civil-lawsuit-against-charlottesville-rally-organizers-can-move-forward/).
14
Dave Philipps, “White Supremacism in the U.S. Military, Explained,” The New York Times, February 27, 2019(https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/27/us/military-white-nationalists-extremists.html).
15
Ed Connolly, “Scandals of the State Militias,” The Nation 252 (March 18, 1991): 338; Untitled UPI story, October
23, 1984; Untitled Associated Press story, October 23, 1984; “Preparedness training in Virginia,” Washington Post,
August 9, 1987; Christopher Smith, “D.C. politics fueling a new wave of militias,” Salt Lake Tribune, September 5,
1994; Ulysses Torassa, Untitled story, States News Service, June 22, 1987; Myron Struck, Untitled story, State
News Service, September 29, 1987; Kevin Maurer, “Soldiers charged with equipment thefts,” Fayette Observer,
June 22, 2007.
13

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supremacists—shot and killed an African-American couple in a horrific hate crime murder. This
incident resulted in a major investigation of white supremacy at Fort Bragg and in the dischargeof 20 members of the 82nd Airborne Division. That there was a problem at Fort Bragg shouldhave been no surprise; at the time, one special forces sergeant even anonymously (under thepseudonym “Special Forces Underground”) published a magazine, The Resister, popular with themilitia movement and white supremacists—and read by Timothy McVeigh. The Fort Bragg
murders resulted in a tightening of regulations regarding extremism in the military to prohibit notjust active participation but also membership in extremist groups.16
A third surge in right-wing extremism occurred roughly from 2008-2011. During that period,
there was a major resurgence of the militia movement, including the rise of many callingthemselves “Three Percenters” as well as others joining a new militia-related group called The
Oath Keepers that was created to target active and former police officers, first responders andmembers of the military for recruitment. The evolution of the Internet, especially the rapid
growth of social media during these years, once more played a significant role in spreading
extremist ideology. During this period, much of the attention related to extremism in the
military, by the military and the media alike, understandably focused on the 2009 Fort Hoodshootings. Yet right-wing extremists, too, engaged in murder and terrorism in this time frame.
The most concerning incident involved a large anti-government militia group called FEAR (anacronym for Forever Enduring, Always Ready), formed by soldiers stationed at Fort Stewart inGeorgia, whose members plotted a variety of different terrorist acts. The group’s leader, Private
Isaac Aguigui, and other members murdered a fellow FEAR member and his girlfriend in 2011
out of fear of informants. During the police investigation of these murders, law enforcement
officers also discovered that Aguigui had murdered his own pregnant wife in order to secure$400,000 in insurance money that he used in part to help fund the activities of FEAR. At least
10 civilian and military members of FEAR were convicted on various charges stemming fromthe investigations. As happened during previous surges, Department of Defense regulations
were revised and somewhat tightened in 2009. 17“Boastful leader of militia faces jail,” Boston Globe, March 4, 1997; “Second Ex-Paratrooper Gets Life In North
Carolina Racial Killings,” The New York Times, May 13, 1997 (https://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/13/us/second-exparatrooper-gets-life-in-north-carolina-racial-killings.html); Gregory Walker, “Steven Barry becomes important
figure in paramilitary underground,” Intelligence Report, Summer 1999, (https://www.splcenter.org/fightinghate/intelligence-report/1999/steven-barry-becomes-important-figure-paramilitary-underground); Department of
Defense Directive, Number 1325.6, “Guidelines for Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of
the Armed Forces,” October 1, 1996 (https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a320448.pdf). One white supremacist
service member stationed at Fort Bragg at the time who was not detected by authorities was Wade Michael Page,
who would in 2012 kill six people in a shooting spree at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin; see Megan McCloskey, “Sikhtemple shooter promoted extremist views during his Army years,” Stars and Stripes, August 7, 2012,(http://www.stripes.com/sikh-temple-shooter-promoted-extremist-views-during-his-army-years-1.185085).
17
Marilyn Mayo and Mark Pitcavage, “Rage Grows in America: Anti-Government Conspiracies,” Anti-Defamation
League, November 2009 (https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/Rage-GrowsIn-America.pdf); Nadya Labi, “Rogue Element: How an anti-government militia grew on a U.S. Army base,” The
New Yorker, May 26, 2014, (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/05/26/rogue-element); “Army private
convicted of murdering pregnant wife,” CBSNews.com, March 27, 2014, (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/armyprivate-convicted-of-murdering-pregnant-wife/); Department of Defense Instruction Number 1325.06, November
167Extremism in the Military in 2020
Today, the United States is experiencing yet another surge of right-wing extremism, one thatbegan in 2015-2016. The previous surges primarily affected anti-government extremists, but thecurrent one is largely driven by the alt right, the newest segment of the white supremacist
movement. Its rise over the past decade has brought a significant influx of thousands of young
white males into the white supremacist movement. 18
ADL’s data finds that of the 427 people killed by extremists in America between 2009 and 2018,
73% were killed by right-wing extremists—76% of them by white supremacists—making white supremacists the deadliest type of extremist movement in the United States inthose ten years, by far.
Like previous upswells of the white supremacist movement, the current surge has affected the
U.S. military. Based on monitoring extremist groups and movements, as well as informationfrom public sources, ADL believes the number of extremists in the military has increased due toa higher percentage of white supremacists attempting to join the military and the development ofwhite supremacist leanings among some currently-serving personnel. The overall percentage of
extremists in the military remains quite low compared to the approximately 2.2 million men andwomen serving in the military on active duty or in the reserve components—but extremists cause
problems far disproportionate to their numbers.
To an even greater degree than in previous surges of extremism, the Internet has played a role in
the present one, with extremist content found on websites, discussion forums, chat rooms, social
media, messaging apps, gaming and streaming sites, and other platforms. The rise of the alt rightbegan as largely an Internet-driven phenomenon and only later expanded to the physical world.
On-line radicalization—including radicalization of military members—is more common now
than ever before, though most radicalization occurs as a combination of online and offline
elements. It is no coincidence that many service members exposed in recent years by journalists
and anti-racist activists were discovered because of their extensive online activities. The white
supremacist online ecosystem, always evolving, poses problems for military authorities seeking
to curb the spread of extremism in the ranks, as they may miss evidence of extremism thatappears only online.

27, 2009, “Handling Dissident and Protest Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces,”(https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/132506p.pdf); “Protecting the Force: Lessons
from Fort Hood; Department of Defense Independent Review Related to Fort Hood,” January 2010,(https://fas.org/sgp/eprint/fthood.pdf).
18
Mark Pitcavage, “New Hate and Old: The Changing Face of White Supremacy,” Anti-Defamation League, 2018,(https://www.adl.org/new-hate-and-old); “Alt Right: A Primer on the New White Supremacy,” Anti-Defamation
League, 2016, (https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/alt-right-a-primer-on-the-new-white-supremacy);“From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate,” Anti-Defamation League, 2017,(https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/from-alt-right-to-alt-lite-naming-the-hate).

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The current surge of extremism, like previous ones, has had consequences for the military
services. In the past few years, numerous serious criminal incidents have been linked to white
supremacists currently serving as active-duty or reserve military personnel. Less than two weeks
ago, Coast Guard Lieutenant Christopher Hasson was sentenced in federal court to 13 years inprison on weapons and other charges in connection with alleged plans to commit domestic
terrorism. 19
The FBI investigation into Hasson revealed chilling details, including the influence on Hasson by
the manifesto of Norwegian terrorist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. Internet
searches that Hasson performed—often on his Coast Guard work computer—revealed his mindset and intention. Among these were terms such as “homemade C4,”
“biological weapon,” “bomb [Timothy] McVeigh used,” and “best n------killing gun.” Searches
related to potential targets included “destruction of Washington DC,” “how to bring down the us
government,” “where do congressmen and senators live when they are in DC,” “how to rid the usof jews,” “George Soros lives where,” “most liberal fed judges,” and “biggest donors tod[emocrats].”20
In a document that investigators found on Hasson’s Coast Guard computer, Hasson claimed that
“liberalist/globalist ideology” was destroying white people and there was “no way to counteract
without violence.” According to Hasson, “much blood will have to be spilled to get whitey off
the couch.” For that reason, he wrote, “I will strike. I can’t strike just to wound. I must find away to deliver a blow that cannot be shaken off.” 21
Prosecutors accurately summarized Hasson as a man “inspired by racist murderers” who“stockpiled assault weapons, studied violence, and intended to exact retribution on minorities
and those he considered traitors.” Had law enforcement not caught him while he was still
making his plans, they noted, “we now would be counting the bodies of the defendant’s victims
instead of years of the defendant’s prison time.”22
The Hasson incident is a shocking example of an extremist plotting a major terrorist act whileserving as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. Yet it is by no means an isolated
incident. Rather, it is one of numerous disturbing acts of violence, planned violence, or othercriminal activity by white supremacists and other extremists that have emerged from the military
in just the past few years.

Pete Williams, “White supremacist Coast Guard officer sentenced to 13 years in prison,” NBCNews.com, January
21, 2020 (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/white-supremacist-coast-guard-officer-sentenced-13-yearsprison-n1127636).
20
Exhibit 19, United States. v. Christopher Paul Hasson, Case 8:19-cr-0096-GJH, Document 115-20, filed January
29, 2020, 5-8, 33, 55; Exhibit 23, Ibid. For these and many other references, see “Sentencing Memorandum by USA
as to Christopher Paul Hasson (and attachments), entered January 29, 2020, United States v. Hasson (8:19-cr00096), (https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/14581072/united-states-v-hasson/).
21
Exhibit 19, Ibid, 8.
22
Government’s Memorandum in Aid of Sentencing, entered January 17, 2020, 1.
19

9Some of the other criminal incidents that have been uncovered include:● Topeka, Kansas, September 2019: Jarret William Smith, a soldier stationed at Fort
Riley and an alleged white supremacist, was charged with distributing information related
to explosives and mass destruction. Smith allegedly offered to teach people to make
explosive devices and talked about killing Antifa activists or attacking a local news
station. 23● Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 2018: Marine Lance Corporal Vasillios Pistolis
was demoted and ejected from the Marines after a court martial related to his connections
to white supremacist groups such as Atomwaffen Division and the Traditionalist Worker
Party. Pistolis was photographed assaulting a man during the August 2017 “Unite theRight” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. 24● Fort Myers, Florida, April 2018: A soldier who was absent without leave, Alex
Zwiefelhofer, and Craig Lang, a former Army specialist, were indicted for the double
murder of a Florida couple who had met with them to sell them guns. Zwiefelhofer andLang were extremists who in 2016 traveled to Ukraine to fight in an extreme right-wing
Ukrainian militia against Russian separatists. The Army discharged Zwiefelhofer
between the time he went AWOL and the time of the murders.25● Tampa, Florida, June 2017: Florida National Guardsman—and a founding member ofthe neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division—Brandon Russell was arrested after officers
found explosives in his apartment while investigating the death of two of his roommatesat the hands of a fourth roommate. Prosecutors claimed that Russell planned to use theexplosives to attack civilians, nuclear facilities, and synagogues. Russell pleaded guilty
in January 2018 to possessing an unregistered destructive device and unlawful storage of
explosive materials. 26● Fayetteville, North Carolina, February 2017: Russell Thomas Langford, a major in
the Army Reserve, was sentenced to eight months of home confinement after pleading
guilty in federal court to using a firearm to threaten members of a local mosque. 27“Soldier at Fort Riley Charged with Distributing Instructions for Bombs,” United States Attorney’s Office Districtof Kansas Press Release, September 23, 2029, (https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/soldier-fort-riley-chargeddistributing-instructions-bombs).
24
Shawn Snow, “27 reports of extremist activity by US service members over the past 5 years, DoD says,” Marine
Corps Times, September 13, 2019, (https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2019/09/13/27-reports-of-extremistactivity-by-us-service-members-over-the-past-5-years-dod-says/).
25
Mike Eckel and Christopher Miller, “Former U.S. Soldier Who Fought With Ukrainian Far-Right Militia Wantedfor U.S. Murder,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, September 26, 2019, (https://www.rferl.org/a/former-u-ssoldier-who-fought-with-ukrainian-far-right-militia-wanted-for-u-s-murder/30185448.html); Jordan Green, “Combat
Vet. Ukrainian Freedom Fighter. Alleged Murderer: Craig Lang Was Always Looking for a War,” Indy Week,
November 26, 2019, (https://indyweek.com/news/longform/craig-lang-ukraine-murder-white-supremacist/).
26
Joanna Mendelson, “Atomwaffen Division (AWD),” Anti-Defamation League, n.d.,(https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/atomwaffen-division-awd).
27
Tasneem Nashrulla, “Army Reserve Officer Arrested for Targeting a Mosque Threatened to Kill Retired Muslim
Army Captain,” BuzzFeed News, June 10, 2016, (https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tasneemnashrulla/armedsuspect-arrested-for-threatening-a-muslim-man-who-serv#.by6K4Vm6l); “North Carolina Man Sentenced for
Threats Against Mosque Members in Raeford, North Carolina,” Department of Justice press release, February 2,
23

10Beyond these criminal incidents there have been many more recent incidents involving white
supremacists on active duty, or in the National Guard or Reserves, who attended white
supremacist events, spread white supremacist propaganda, participated in white supremacist
groups, posted in white supremacist discussion forums, or engaged in other similar activities.
Just a few selected examples from 2019 alone:● Atlanta, Georgia, December 2019: Two National Guardsmen were discharged after
their membership in a white supremacist group and their appearance carrying signs withwhite supremacist slogans at a white supremacist event became public. 28● Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, November 2019: Marine Corps officials began aninvestigation into a lance corporal after he was identified as having been active on awhite supremacist message board.29● Colorado Springs, Colorado, September 2019: An Air Force master sergeant was
demoted and now faces possible discharge proceedings after he was identified as achapter leader of the white supremacist group Identity Evropa.30● Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, June 2019: A Marine lance corporal was discharged after
admitting to having promoted white supremacist ideology online. 31● Tacoma, Washington, April 2019: An enlisted soldier left the Army after anti-racist
activists exposed his active membership in the white supremacist group Identity Evropa.
An Army spokesperson would not confirm if he had been discharged. 32● San Diego, California, May 2019: A Marine lance corporal was discharged from theMarine Reserves after being identified taking part in Identity Evropa events and attending
the white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. 33

2017, ( (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-carolina-man-sentenced-threats-against-mosque-members-raefordnorth-carolina).
28
Chris Joyner, “National Guard drops two Georgians after investigating extremist ties,” Atlanta JournalConstitution, December 26, 2019, (https://www.ajc.com/news/national-guard-drops-two-georgians-afterinvestigating-extremist-ties/).
29
James Laporta and Asher Stockler, “Active duty marine who posted racist slurs on neo-Nazi website is identified:‘Anybody else with our views?’” Newsweek, November 18, 2019, (https://www.newsweek.com/active-duty-marineneo-nazi-website-white-supremacist-identified-1470487).
30
Elise Schmelzer, “Air Force moves to discharge Colorado sergeant tied to white supremacist group,” Denver Post,
December 17, 2019, https://www.denverpost.com/2019/12/17/air-force-identity-evropa-cory-reeves/.
31
Gina Harkins, “Marine Lance Corporal Will Be Kicked Out Over Racist Social Media Posts,” Military.com, June11, 2019, (https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/06/11/marine-lance-corporal-will-be-kicked-out-over-racistsocial-media-posts.html).
32
Christopher Mathias, “After HuffPost Investigation, 4 White Nationalists Out of U.S. Military—But Others
Allowed to Remain,” Huffington Post, August 7, 2019, (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/white-nationalists-militarykicked-out-huffpost-investigation_n_5d4b0f83e4b0066eb70b9945).
33
Shawn Snow, “27 reports of extremist activity;” “Two Years Ago, They Marched in Charlottesville. Where Are
They Now?” Anti-Defamation League, August 8, 2019, (https://www.adl.org/blog/two-years-ago-they-marched-incharlottesville-where-are-they-now).

11

● Stamford, Connecticut, March 2019: The Marines administratively discharged aMarine Reserve lance corporal for hosting Identity Evropa events and distributing white
supremacist propaganda on college campuses in Connecticut and New York.34● Jackson, Tennessee, March 2019: A lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve was
exposed as a participant on an online chat site linked to Identity Evropa. In posts made to
the site, the colonel allegedly discussed distributing white supremacist propaganda in
Tennessee and Mississippi. As of December 2019, the colonel was still in the Army
Reserve. 35● Brighton, New York, March 2019: Local police cited a University of Rochester ROTC
cadet and member of the Army Reserve for violating town code after his fingerprints
were allegedly found during an investigation into a rash of white supremacist fliers andstickers. He has allegedly been allowed to stay in the military.36
Unfortunately, these are far from the only incidents involving extremists and the military overthe past few years. That almost all of the extremists in these examples were initially exposed byjournalists or anti-racist activists is another troubling sign that the military branches may not be
engaged in sufficient self-scrutiny.
Coming to Grips with Extremism in the MilitaryWith over two million men and women in the active duty and reserve components, the U.S.
military is a large segment of the American population, representative enough that it will always
have some extremists within its ranks or seeking to join them. Moreover, the history of the past
several decades has amply demonstrated that surges of white supremacy and other forms ofextremism in the general population are mirrored by an increase in the number of extremists inthe military, as well as the problems caused by those extremists.
It’s not really a question of if there are extremists in the military. They exist—not in huge
numbers, but in numbers large enough to cause significant problems, including a potential forviolence and terrorism. The question really is, how can the military services and the Departmentof Defense better deal with this problem?
The Department and the military branches must seek to prevent extremists from entering theirranks in the first place, while having measures in place to detect and discharge already-serving
members who become involved in extremist causes. To do this, the Department and the services
need not only comprehensive and effective regulations, but also must provide systematic training
Christopher Mathias, “After HuffPost Investigation.”
Katie Shephard, “’Vile and disturbing’: Army unit marks Battle of the Bulge with picture of Nazi war criminal
who massacred Americans,” Washington Post, December 17, 2019,(https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/12/17/joachim-peiper-nazi-war-criminal-photo-shared-us-armyunits-battle-bulge/).
36
Trevor Whitestone, “UR senior linked to spate of white nationalist fliers in Brighton,” Campus Times, March 5,2019, (http://www.campustimes.org/2019/03/05/ur-senior-linked-to-spate-of-white-nationalist-fliers-in-brighton/);
Christopher Mathias, “After HuffPost Investigation.”
34
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to all relevant personnel, both on the regulations and on their responsibilities in this area and thetools at their disposal.
ADL’s experiences working with the military branches over the years on the issue of extremism
have led us to be concerned that some personnel have lacked clear training and guidance and thatpolicies and regulations have not always been widely and uniformly implemented. This has
sometimes left decision-makers to their own devices without clear understanding of what theyshould do in particular situations involving service members with extremist ties. The result has
been that some personnel are well-versed and responsive to extremist-related issues, while others
are not. Some may be aware of tools, such as administrative discharges, that may be available tothem, while others may not.
It is important that all military recruiters and initial entry trainers receive uniform training on
how to detect signs of extremist activism among recruits and newly-inducted personnel, and how
to respond accordingly. It is important that all company-grade officers and senior noncommissioned officers, all advanced trainers, equal opportunity officers, civilian investigatorsand other relevant personnel have training on detecting signs of extremist involvement by service
members under their purview and on how to implement relevant regulations. Moreover, to allow
these people to perform effectively, the regulations on extremist-related issues ranging fromprohibited activities to prohibited tattoos must be clear, uniform from service to service, andcomprehensive.
First Amendment freedoms, including free speech protections, are a core American value that
ADL strongly supports. Like many other rights more liberally exercised in the civilian sphere,
however, free speech may be curtailed in the military context due to the military’s necessity forgood order and discipline. Superiors who detect signs of extremist activism or involvement
should take action where appropriate, but accused military personnel should be given due
process.
ADL understands how important it is that the Armed Services prevent adherents of extremist
causes from entering the ranks and appropriately address those who are found in service. As
such, ADL offers our expertise and experience to help the Department of Defense and theseparate branches tackle this serious issue, including assistance in developing training curricula,as well as train-the-trainer events.
The U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard have protected this nation well in
the past—and will continue to do so into the future, along with the Space Force. It is importantthat extremists in the military are not allowed to undermine this mission or harm their brothers
and sisters in arms or the American people.

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POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Commanders and DoD Leaders Must Lead
In September 2017, Lieutenant General Jay Silveria, Superintendent of the U.S. Air Force
Academy, set an excellent standard for a forceful response to bigotry in his strong,eloquent repudiation of hate at a school-wide assembly when racial slurs appeared in the
Academy’s preparatory school dormitory and photos were shared on social media.
General Silveria told the assembly of nearly 5,500 students, faculty, and command staff:“If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, Get out!” The right to free speech isa core value, but the promotion of hate should be vehemently and consistently rejected.
Military leaders are uniquely capable of influencing those who serve below them byspeaking out clearly against hate and extremism and by ensuring that these issues aretaken seriously throughout the ranks.37
2) Provide Training and Resources to Prevent Extremists From Entering the Military
The military services must have comprehensive policies and procedures in place toprevent extremists from joining the military. Recruiters and others charged withpromoting accessions in the Armed Forces must be trained on these procedures and on
symbols associated with hate groups and extremists that could prompt appropriate
concerns about recruiting a particular individual.
3) DoD and Service Policy and Reporting Regarding White Supremacist and Extremist
Activity Must Be Clear, Transparent and Consistent
The regulations on extremist-related issues ranging from prohibited activities toprohibited tattoos must be clear, uniform from service to service, and comprehensive.
Commanders, NCOs and investigators must have clear and consistent guidance regarding
their options—including discharges or separations when appropriate—for handling
documented extremist activities as well as early stage interventions to stop theradicalization process. In instances when white supremacist activity is documented,
separation or prosecution under the UCMJ should be prioritized.
Further, it is critical that the military’s efforts be transparent to engender faith among
service members, their families and all Americans. The Department and services should
consistently track and label extremist activity and any resulting separations and, whereappropriate, provide referrals to civilian law enforcement agencies to ensure that thisinformation is not lost in the separation process.
37

After an investigation, officials found that the scrawled slur in a dormitory was a hoax committed by one of its
targets, a black cadet candidate, who was actually responsible for the act. General Silveria, again, responded
appropriately: “Regardless of the circumstances under which those words were written, they were written, and thatdeserved to be addressed...You can never overemphasize the need for a culture of dignity and respect — and those
who don’t understand those concepts, aren’t welcome here.” Tom Roeder, “Air Force Academy finds cadet
candidate responsible for racist messages,” Colorado Springs Gazette, November 7, 2017,(https://gazette.com/air-force-academy-finds-cadet-candidate-responsible-for-racist-messages/article_e0abd653e47b-5b6f-837b-d793a8369e34.html).

144) Provide Training and Resources to Detect, Discipline and Discharge Service
Members Involved in Promoting Hate Violence or Extremist Activities
The Department and the military services should provide regular, comprehensive training
on existing regulations that set out the terms for how to handle involvement in extremist
activities. Policies are only as effective as their implementation and good
implementation requires proper training. All company-grade officers and senior noncommissioned officers, all initial entry and advanced trainers, equal opportunity officers,
civilian investigators, and other relevant personnel should be trained on detecting signs of
extremist involvement among service members and on how to understand and implement
relevant regulations. DoD and the services should incorporate the best tools andexpertise in identifying and addressing radicalization and extremism, including partneringwith civil society organizations that can provide expertise on the radicalization process
and appropriate interventions.
5) Carefully Vet Individuals Selected to Provide Hate and Extremism Training for

Bias
Some outside experts hired to teach programs designed to address diversity and equal
opportunity have, instead, promoted stereotypical or inaccurate information about
Muslims, Islam, and other groups and their connection with terrorism. These views are
not only inaccurate but undermine the mission, and should be treated as such. Similar
reviews have taken place in the past,38 and yet the risk of bigoted training endures. Weurge a prompt review of all training materials to ensure service members are trained
accurately about the threats we face while preserving core American values in how thosethreats are conveyed.
6) Assess the Impact on the Force of White Supremacy,
A recent survey suggests that many service members are exposed to white
supremacy. We recommend the Department and services study the impact on goodorder, discipline, morale and readiness of this exposure. Further, given the overt
misogyny present within the alt right segment of the white supremacist movement andthe recent rise of another extremist movement, the so-called “incels” or involuntary
celibates, who have a belief system centered around misogyny, we encourage DoD tostudy whether extremist-related misogyny specifically has had any impact on the Armed
Forces and what measures could be adopted to prevent it from having any in the future.

Spencer Ackerman, “FBI Calls In The Army To Fix Its Counterterrorism Training,” Wired. November 3, 2011,(https://www.wired.com/2011/11/fbi-west-point-training/)
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