The start of 2025 was marked by loss and terror as two separate terrorist attacks shook the nation. One in New Orleans caused the death of 14 people, and the other was in Las Vegas which led to the injury of seven people. On the surface, these two attacks have nothing in common and the FBI has also denied it. But these two attacks indicate a common problem.
Both the attackers, Shamsub Din Jabbar and Matthew Livelsberger, were part of the military. Jabbar was a US Army veteran, while Livelsberger was an active-duty soldier. According to the Pentagon, these are not isolated cases, but the US Military has a far-right extremism and white supremacy problem.
Extremism Has Always Been a Problem in The US Military
The problem with white supremacy and right-wing extremism started with the inception of the US Army. US military started with segregated armed forces, and it wasn’t till 1948 that the desegregation happened.
We can look at the infamous KKK that was founded by Confederate war veterans after the Civil War in 1866. It is one of the best examples to showcase that a segregated army gives rise to white supremacy culture. During the Vietnam War, some Klan members were also celebrating the death of MLK Jr at an American military base in 1968. In 1995, members of an Airborne Division formed a neo-Nazi group, and a few months later, a black couple became their victim.
If we look at some current statistics, in the last decade almost 45 persons with military backgrounds committed mass violence per year. Some researchers are even saying that military service has surpassed mental health issues as the chief indicator of mass casualty offenders.
PIRUS database also indicated that in the last 30 years, people with military backgrounds have plotted more than 144 “lone wolf” terrorist attacks in the US. Unsurprisingly, 73.5% of them have some affiliation with far-right extremist groups. Also, in the January 6 attack, 15% of the offenders had military or law enforcement backgrounds.
What Is Fuelling This Hateful Far-Right Extremism In Our Military?
Sociologists believe that people who become radicalized by far-right ideology usually have a “victim complex.” They feel a sense of doubt about their place the society and feel victims of a “perceived” power structure. They believe that they are entitled to a certain status or value in society, and their violence is a response to the injustice of not getting that entitlement.
According to Historian Kathleen Belew, veterans have a high risk of being radicalized by these feelings. According to a survey, almost 50% of Afghanistan war veterans struggled to readjust to civilian life and felt a loss of value in society. Many veterans, losing their sense of purpose and structure, were seeking a similar rigid structure of the army. These veterans, especially after the Vietnam War, were easy recruitment targets for the white power groups.
Research suggests that these groups often blame something or someone, like migrants, minorities, or culture change, for the individual’s sense of “perceived” injustice. These far-right extreme groups provide them a way of expressing the individual’s sense of injustice through violence. The Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 was an example of this type of “conspiratorial thinking.” It was the deadliest domestic tourist attack by a white supremacist army vet that took the lives of 168 people.
Can We Stop the Far-Right Extremism Problem?
A research study by CSIS recommends that the US Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs should do thorough background checks for new recruits and should also monitor the recently discharged personnel. This will at least remove the most vulnerable from joining the extremist group.
Various US Veteran Peace Movement organizations have also demanded better financial and mental health support for the veteran community and programs to help them settle back into a peaceful society. They also heavily oppose US foreign wars and demand an end to the growing militarism in US society.
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