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The arrest of a U.S. soldier with far-right sympathies who is suspected of plotting an attack on American soil to spark “chaos” has highlighted a challenge for the Pentagon: purging its ranks of extremists. … But he is hardly the first U.S. soldier to reveal far-right or ultra-nationalist leanings — and some fear the U.S. military is being used as a training ground by extremist groups.
“Everything old is new again,” said Brian Levin, a professor of criminal justice at California State University, San Bernardino, and the director of the school’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
“There is a renewed effort within part of the white supremacist world to focus on the military because they have such valuable skills,” he added, pointing the case of Jarret Smith, the soldier accused of plotting the attack.
For Levin, Smith's case is interesting because it implies that white supremacist groups are on the prowl for soldiers sharing their views.
He said that while the Pentagon is making a 'sincere effort' to combat extremism within its ranks, it was not enough.
'The military is acutely aware of the problem and they are certainly working on it,' Levin said. 'Now what we have to do is to retool our response to it.'
Read the complete article at “US military struggles to weed out soldiers with far-right ties.”
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