WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is developing ways to better screen military recruits for extremist behavior, while improving training for troops leaving the service so they can be more prepared if violent hate groups lure them to join.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a memo Friday that ordered some new, immediate steps the department will take, as well as longer-term efforts aimed at rooting out extremism in the ranks and clarifying how personnel can better identify and report problem behavior.
The military has long been aware of small numbers of white supremacists and other extremists in its ranks. But Pentagon leaders launched an all-out effort to address the problem after it became clear that a significant number of military veterans