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Is extremism on the rise among military members?

Questions posed during confirmation hearing
Capitol riots
Posted at 9:01 AM, Jan 27, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-27 09:01:28-05

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A Virginia Senator is questioning the rise of extremism within the military ranks.

Senator Tim Kaine asked Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during his confirmation hearing about how the military should address the rise of white supremacy and extremism within the ranks.

Speaking about the violence at Capitol Hill on January 6, Senator Kaine said "you find a lot of people who have connection to our military who should be, as part of the enormous training investment we make in them, able to spot the difference between truth and fantasy."

"We invest so much to train a member of our military — officer, enlisted — what might you suggest to us as we think about the training going forward that would lead us to have a military that was immune from superstition and not so gullible as to fall for these false ideologies," he added.

Several current and former service members have been arrested for their involvement at the January 6 Capitol Hill violence.