New challenge to Operational Readiness: The Threat of Extremist and SupremacistGroups to the United States Military

摘要

Operational Commanders will face a new and growing challenge to readiness asmilitary units emerge with members who belong to extremist and supremacist groups. An Army Task Force Study determined that approximately 7% of military members participate in some form of extremist or supremacist group. Identification and neutralization of these individuals will be one challenge facing the leadership of the military services. The second challenge is in recognition by the National Command Authority of the existence of extremist groups and their open conviction that impending conflict with the Federal government in imminent. The Secretary of Defense must charge the Joint Staff to develop a Deliberate Action Plan to serve as a starting point for Crisis Action Planning to effectively deal with this challenge and remain operationally ready to thwart this potential domestic threat.