When U.S. Marine commanders hear about instances of extremism or gang activity in their ranks, they’re now required to call Marine Corps headquarters to report the allegations within 30 minutes of learning about them.
The new rule is part of a step-by-step guide for reporting extremism and gang activity released by the Marine Corps at the end of August. The guidance streamlines the reporting process, which has been inconsistent across the services.
The lack of uniformity for reporting and tracking allegations complicated efforts by the Defense Department Office of Inspector General to gauge the military’s response to extremism, the IG reported in 2023. The watchdog determined the DOD investigated 183 allegations of extremist activity among service members in 2023, but the IG doesn’t know how many allegations were made that weren’t investigated.
“The report highlights ongoing challenges in compiling and validating data, emphasizing the need for consistent implementation of data collection,” the IG said.
The National Defense Authorization Act approved by Congress in 2021 mandated the IG to report every year how effectively the Defense Department prevents and responds to extremist activities in the ranks. That same year, the Pentagon expanded its definition of extremist activities to include online interactions that promote terrorism, as well as rallies, fundraising and organizing in support of extremist ideologies.
The changes were made in reaction to the presence of veterans and service members at the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. As of May, 222 individuals with military backgrounds had been charged or convicted in connection with the attack, and 24 were active-duty troops, National Guard members or reservists, according to data from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.
The new Marine Corps reporting guidelines follow similar rules imposed by the Army in June. The Army’s rules require commanders to train troops about off-limits extremist activities, take action when they spot extremism in their units and report any incidents to the Inspector General.
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During an initial call about an allegation, the Marine Corps Operation Center will talk through reporting requirements with commanders and help determine whether the incident is a threat to mission success. If it is a threat, the allegation would trigger a faster reporting timeline, the guidelines say.
If an instance of extremism or gang activity isn’t mission-critical, commands have three days to send a serious incident report detailing the allegation to Marine headquarters. For senior service members, commands must send the report within one day.
Marine headquarters will share those reports with the Judge Advocate Division, which will share redacted reports to the Inspector General of the Marine Corps, the new guidelines stipulate.
In addition to calling the Marine Corps Operation Center and filing a serious incident report, Marine commands must notify several other groups about the allegations. Those include the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Marine Counterintelligence Element, the Marine Corps Insider Threat Program and the staff judge advocate in the chain of command.
If a service member who’s facing an allegation has a security clearance, the command’s security manager must also be informed. The security manager will then determine whether to suspend the Marine’s access to classified material, the rules state.
Lt. Gen. James Bierman, the deputy commandant for plans, policies and operations, sent the message outlining the new rules. His message orders commanders to share the guidelines with their units and to spend time instructing all personnel about the requirements.
This story was produced in partnership with Military Veterans in Journalism. Please send tips to [email protected].
Nikki Wentling covers disinformation and extremism for Military Times. She’s reported on veterans and military communities for eight years and has also covered technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned multiple honors from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors and others.
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