Pentagon Watchdog Halts Review of Military Efforts to Root Out Extremism
Members of the Oath Keepers extremist group stand on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP File Photo)
Military.com | By Steve Beynon
Published March 05, 2025 at 6:03pm ET
The Pentagon inspector general has scrapped plans to investigate the military's training for identifying and countering extremism in the ranks -- saying the project does not align with President Donald Trump's executive orders, according to a memo obtained by Military.com.
The watchdog's directive, issued Feb. 25, abruptly halted an ongoing assessment of how military branches implement counter-extremism training, particularly efforts targeting radical organizations, white nationalist groups and militias such as the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and the Ku Klux Klan.
The decision to drop the review is the latest shift of Pentagon policy under Trump, who fired Defense Department Inspector General Robert Storch without providing 30 days' notice to Congress as required by law. The president also pardoned convicted Oath Keepers and Proud Boys members who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/03/05/pentagon-watchdog-halts-review-of-military-efforts-root-out-extremism.html
