Trump's Trials - Hegseth has signaled he may halt efforts to fight extremism in the military

Episode Date: January 28, 2025

For years, Republicans in Congress have been trying to cut Pentagon initiatives to fight extremism in the military. Now, the Trump administration may be poised to end those anti-extremism efforts. Support NPR and hear every episode sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Scott Detro and you're listening to Trump's terms from NPR. We're going to be doing all sorts of things nobody ever thought was even possible. It's going to be a very aggressive first hundred days of the new Congress. An unpredictable, transformative next four years. The United States is going to take off like a rocket ship. Each episode we bring you the latest news about the 47th president and the policy changes he is pursuing on his own terms. We know from experience that means challenging precedent, busting norms, and pushing against set ideas about what the federal government can and can't do.

It all raises questions about how much Washington and the country will change over the course of this term. NPR is covering it all in stories like the one you are about to hear, right after this. You're listening to Trump's terms from NPR is covering it all in stories like the one you are about to hear, right after this. You're listening to Trump's Terms from NPR. Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown.

The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. The indicator for Plano Money is diving into the world of batteries. Not the kind you buy at the grocery store. We're talking really big batteries, the kind that can power thousands of homes.

This technology came seemingly out of nowhere. We're digging deep into the battery industry in three back-to-back episodes. Listen to the Indicator from Planet Money podcast on NPR. I'm Ari Shapiro. For years, Republicans in Congress have been trying to cut Pentagon initiatives to fight extremism in the military. Now with a newly installed Secretary of Defense, the Trump administration may be poised to end anti-extremism efforts entirely. WUNC's Jay Price reports. Here's Pete Hegseth, the veteran and former Fox News host, earlier this month in his Senate confirmation hearing.

Things like focusing on extremism have created a climate inside our ranks that feel political when it has ever been political. Those are the types of things that are going to change. Hegseth's hearing came two weeks after high-profile events involving men with military connections who appear to have been radicalized. In New Orleans, an Army veteran rammed a truck into a crowd, killing 14. And in Las Vegas, a special forces soldier detonated a Tesla truck outside a Trump hotel and killed himself.

But Hegseth said, extremism in the ranks isn't a serious problem, and efforts to fight it are a distraction for the military. That was a made-up bogeyman to begin with. The anti-extremism initiatives were started by President Biden's Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in response to the January 6 insurrection. About 200 veterans and active duty troops were among those eventually arrested. Austin ordered the entire military to stand down for reflection and formed a working group that made recommendations on fighting extremism. But activists say the efforts

have had limited effects that could be stalled or reversed. Heidi Birak is a co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. I do think we've lost momentum because of the politicization of the process, meaning the Pentagon has shied away from making this a centerpiece of its efforts in the last few years. There's been some progress, she says, like an improved system to screen out recruits who may be affiliated with extremist groups or crime gangs. But Birx says the Defense Department hasn't been transparent enough.

The fact that those rules and regulations were put in place in those branches may have a lasting impact over time, but it's very hard to know because we don't have data. And I just don't think the next four years are going to bode well for any kind of emphasis around this issue. In his confirmation hearing, Hegseth cited a study commissioned by the Pentagon and released in 2023 that looked at military extremism. A hundred extremists were identified in the ranks of three million. That study concluded extremism was no more common among service members than civilians.

But the Associated Press found the study relied on outdated data and misleading analysis. Meanwhile, the Defense Department has been funding another study by a group headquartered at the University of Maryland. Its data shows the percentage of extremists with military backgrounds who commit ideologically driven crimes has doubled in recent years. And that is true if you include or if you exclude individuals that participated in the January 6th attack. So this appears to be a growing problem.

Michael Jensen is a senior researcher for the group. It also found military service was the strongest predictor that someone would attempt a mass casualty attack and be successful at it. Extremism in the military is a low numbers, high impact problem. It's not true that every member of the military is an extremist in the making, that every case of extremist crime is someone with a military background. But what we need to really focus on

is the impact of even a single case. He says the vast majority of extremists with military ties who commit crimes are veterans, not active duty troops. His group recommends the Pentagon improve efforts to fight extremism in the ranks and educate troops about how to avoid getting involved in extremism after they leave the service. Now, that's all up to Pete Hegseth.

For NPR News, I'm Jay Price. Before we wrap up, a reminder, you can find more coverage of the incoming Trump administration on the NPR Politics Podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow.

Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR.