A recent report by the RAND Corporation suggests that concerns about higher levels of support for extremist groups and ideals among military veterans may be unfounded. The study, which surveyed a nationally representative group of veterans, revealed that support for groups such as the Proud Boys and Antifa was generally lower compared to rates observed in previous surveys of the broader U.S. population.
While assessing support for extremist beliefs among veterans yielded more varied results, it was noted that support for QAnon was lower among veterans than among the general population. However, when it came to backing political violence and the Great Replacement theory, veterans’ support appeared to be on par with that of the overall population.
Levels of extremism
Interestingly, the survey highlighted that veterans who served in the Marine Corps exhibited the highest levels of support for extremist groups and beliefs compared to veterans from other branches of the military. These findings shed light on the complexity of attitudes and underline the importance of understanding the nuances within different veteran populations.
“We found no evidence to support the notion that the veteran community, as a whole, exhibits higher rates of support for violent extremist groups or extremist beliefs than the American public,” the researchers say. “However, our findings do suggest work still may be needed to make sure veterans are not susceptible to being recruited by those with extremist ideologies.”
Since the attack on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, concerns have grown about the potential radicalization of military veterans and their susceptibility to violent extremism. Researchers attribute this to various factors, including veterans’ training, logistical skills, and the sense of legitimacy they lend to extremist groups.
Moreover, the demographic composition of the veteran community, predominantly male and white, aligns with the demographic profile associated with right-wing and, to a lesser extent, left-wing extremism in the United States.
National picture
To gain deeper insights into this issue, researchers from RAND conducted the first nationally representative survey of veterans’ perspectives on extremism and extremist groups. The survey included questions about groups like Antifa, the Proud Boys, white supremacists, support for QAnon ideology, political violence, and the Great Replacement theory.
The findings indicated that fewer veterans expressed support for Antifa and white supremacist groups compared to the overall U.S. population. Similarly, lower levels of support were observed for the Proud Boys and the QAnon conspiracy theory among veterans. Approximately 5% of participants expressed support for Black nationalist groups.
However, concerning aspects remained evident. Support for political violence and the Great Replacement theory among veterans mirrored the levels seen in the broader U.S. population. Importantly, only a minority of veterans supporting extremist groups also endorsed the need for political violence.
Marine Corps veterans demonstrated the highest levels of support for Antifa, the Proud Boys, Black nationalists, political violence, and the Great Replacement theory. Air Force and Marine Corps veterans displayed stronger support for QAnon compared to other branches of the military.
Encouraging insights
While these findings offer some encouraging insights, they also highlight the complexities and challenges associated with addressing extremism within the veteran community.
“Given the anecdotal information about extremist group recruitment preferences and their active targeting of veterans, we would have assumed that these reported prevalence rates would be higher,” the researchers explain.
The researchers argue that veterans who hold extremist views may be more prone to actively joining and participating in such groups compared to their non-veteran counterparts. As a result, even if the prevalence rate of extremist attitudes among veterans is relatively low, it could still pose a significant security threat to the United States.
“The unique and dangerous capabilities that veterans bring to extremist groups are evident,” they explain. “Therefore, even a lower prevalence rate of extremist attitudes among veterans could still represent a disproportionately large security risk to the United States.”
In light of these findings, the authors recommend that the U.S. military and veteran service organizations delve further into the factors that drive active-duty personnel and veterans to adopt extremist beliefs and engage in extremist activities. This endeavor should involve additional surveys and interview-based studies to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying factors contributing to radicalization.
