March 4 Capitol attack rumors highlight dangers of far-right extremism’s military ties
March 4 Capitol attack rumors highlight dangers of far-right extremism’s military ties – Prime News Now
4 Mar 2021
Law enforcement officials are ramping up security in Washington, D.C., this week because of right-wing chatter about
more violence timed to occur March 4. The date has
somewhat bizarre significance to conspiracy theorists like followers of the “sovereign citizen” movement and QAnon. The fact that men and women with sophisticated military skills might buy into such theories is alarming. A small number of skilled and motivated extremists could do outsize damage.
We already know that plenty of far-right extremists see themselves as “soldiers.”
We already know that plenty of far-right extremists see themselves as “soldiers.” Several right-wing nationalist groups played a
disproportionate role in the
Jan. 6 attack on America’s Capitol. These
groups carefully planned their efforts, co-opting the language, the look and even the tactics of the military. But it is more than play-acting. According to
multiple reports, we also know that a significant number of those
involved in the attack have real ties to the military. Some Americans seemed shocked by this fact; they should not have been.
The number of right-wing nationalist groups that have been identified in the United States has
increased dramatically over the past decade, a fact FBI Director Christopher Wray
confirmed during his Senate testimony this week. Consequently, it is not surprising that their
members include veterans, active-duty personnel and members of the National Guard or the reserves. The Defense Department also acknowledged this fact in a
report released Tuesday.
Whether timed to March 4 or not, the growth of right-wing groups and their ability to infiltrate the military is unquestionably a significant threat. Clearly Americans are alarmed. In a poll conducted by the Anti-Defamation League after the attack on the Capitol, over
75 percent of respondents expressed serious concerns about widespread violence in the next year by white supremacist groups or anti-government militias.
Some of these groups have actively encouraged their
members to join the military or sought to recruit veterans. They not surprisingly view the unique training the military offers in weapons, communications and cyber as an exploitable asset. One expert observed that military members could “
dramatically escalate the impact of fringe activism, pass on explosives expertise or urban warfare expertise.” The presence of military personnel or veterans also gives militia groups a degree of
political legitimacy and public credibility.
Obviously, this dynamic also threatens to further undermine America’s faith in its military, and it is
damaging to vital civil-military relations. But the participation of active-duty service members, National Guard members or reservists in such groups is not simply contrary to “
good order and discipline” in the ranks.
Forty percent of the men and women in uniform today are people of color. As
Dov Zakheim wrote in The Hill in January, “eliminating from the ranks racial, ethnic and religious hatred and the White supremacists who stoke it is not a ‘nice to have.’ It is critical if America is to win its wars.”
Comment:
Obviously the so called predicted attack on Washington D.C. on March 4, 2021 has not and did not occur.
Fear not, Nancy Pelosi and her puppet Joey Xi will keep the razor wire topped fences and the National Guard in Washington several more months.
Ya never know when those Neanderthals will attack with those .75 caliber AR-15 machine guns shooting thousands of rounds per minute .... Thankfully Nancy has tried to order crew served machine guns to protect Congress and her criminal cabal of swampers...
Obviously, "no one in the Defense Department expects the stand-down to be a panacea. Dealing with this challenge effectively will require much closer
coordination between the Pentagon and the FBI. Commanders of major military bases and National Guard units must also expand contact with local and state law enforcement agencies, particularly in those parts of the country where such groups are prevalent and active".