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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThis report outlines ongoing work by the Department of Defense to address the threat posed byprohibited extremist activities. The Department of Defense has long prohibited Service membersfrom actively engaging in extremist activities. Since 1969, the Department of Defense hasprovided policy guidance that enumerates the prohibition of specific activities, and has routinelyupdated its guidance to clarify prohibited activities, clarify the investigative authorities thatcommanders have at their disposal, and ensure that all military departments implement trainingon these policies.Following a number of high-profile insider threat attacks in the early 2010s, the Department ofDefense built a program to detect, deter, and mitigate such threats to the Department, its people,and its mission. In 2019, Congress directed the Department of Defense to review existingpolicies and capabilities with the aim of closing gaps in personnel security vetting. In 2020, theArmy published a comprehensive revision of Army Command Policy (AR 600-20) which wasthe first of its kind to address the use of social media to support extremist activities and providedguidance to commanders for addressing prohibited activity that crosses the line into misconduct.In February 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III directed a Department-wide standdown to educate Department of Defense personnel on the threat posed by extremist activity. InApril 2021, following the stand down, Secretary Austin issued a second memorandum toimplement immediate actions identified by subject-matter experts within the Department ofDefense (and informed by the stand down), and directed the establishment of the CounteringExtremist Activity Working Group (CEAWG) to implement these urgent steps and developadditional recommendations.This report provides background on the work completed by the Department. It also details theimplementation status of the Secretary?s four directed actions from April and describes the sixadditional recommendations and associated actions developed by the CEAWG. With thepublication of this report, the Secretary of Defense has directed the implementation of the sixCEAWG recommendations and associated actions.The immediate actions were:> Review and update DoD Instruction 1325.06, ?Handling Protest, Extremist, and CriminalGang Activities Among Members of the Armed Forces,? to clarify the definition ofprohibited extremist activity> Update the Service member transition checklist> Review and standardize screening questionnaires> Commission a study on extremist activity in the Total Force. The six additional CEAWG recommendations fall within the following lines of effort: MilitaryJustice and Policy, Support and Oversight of the Insider Threat Program, Investigative Processesand Screening Capability, and Education and Training. Key recommendations include:> Developing a comprehensive training and education plan that provides regular training onprohibited extremist activity to Department of Defense personnel, including thoseadvancing to leadership positions.> Reviewing and updating policies to provide notice to the Total Force and Department ofDefense contractor personnel on prohibited extremist activity.> Improving and modernizing Insider Threat programs by enhancing capabilities,maximizing information sharing, and ensuring a consistent and full understanding of anylegal requirements.
What do they consider "extremist activity"?
