Extremism stand-down checked a box with no lasting result, critics say
By Nikki Wentling
Thursday, Nov 30
National Guard soldiers stand their posts around the Capitol in Washington. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
An Army nursing specialist was working inside a hospital at Fort Johnson in the spring of 2021 when he was instructed by a supervisor to gather for a training session about extremism.
It was just weeks after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, where some veterans and service members joined a chaotic protest aimed at thwarting a peaceful transfer of presidential power. In response, the Pentagon had mandated a one-day training on domestic extremism, with units across the country left to decide the best way to convey the message.
At the Louisiana hospital, the specialist and five others filed into the downstairs labor and delivery unit, where a major led them through a slide presentation. The session lasted one hour, and then the workers went back to their regular duties. Nearly three years later, the specialist can’t remember much of the training, other than the gist: “Don’t do terrorism.”
“If I learned anything new, I’ve already forgotten it,” he said.
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/extremism-disinformation/2023/11/30/extremism-stand-down-checked-a-box-with-no-lasting-result-critics-say/
