The involvement of former military personnel in suspected terrorist attacks raises serious concerns about the intersection of radical ideologies and military service. Two incidents on New Year's Day 2025 highlighted this issue: a deadly car attack in New Orleans allegedly perpetrated by a former Army staff sergeant, and a suspected bombing in Las Vegas linked to an active-duty Army Master Sergeant. These events underscore the need to understand how individuals with military training and experience can become radicalized.
Research from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism reveals a disturbing trend: between 1990 and 2022, a significant number of individuals with U.S. military backgrounds were involved in plotting mass-casualty terrorist attacks within the United States. This data emphasizes the importance of ongoing efforts to identify and address extremist tendencies within the military.
The Department of Defense has acknowledged the potential impact of even isolated extremist incidents, emphasizing its commitment to preventing extremism within its ranks. This commitment is crucial to maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of the military.
Several past incidents involving military-linked extremism further illustrate the complexity of this issue:
Past Cases of Military-Linked Extremism
- 2009: Former Army Major Nidal Hassan carried out a deadly shooting at Fort Hood, killing 13. Hassan's radical Islamic views and outspoken criticism of U.S. military actions foreshadowed the attack.
- 2021: Army Private Cole James Bridges was sentenced to prison for plotting an attack on the 9/11 memorial and providing support to ISIS.
- 2020: Army Private Ethan Melzer received a lengthy prison sentence for leaking sensitive military information to a neo-Nazi group.
- 2014: Frazier Glenn Miller, a former Green Beret with a history of white supremacist activity, killed three people outside Jewish centers in Kansas.
- 2014: Navy veteran Zale Thompson injured several police officers in a hatchet attack motivated by radical Islamic beliefs.
- 2016: Micah Xavier Johnson, an Army reservist and Afghanistan War veteran, killed five police officers in Dallas, driven by anger over police brutality against Black men.
- 2020: Three veterans associated with the Boogaloo Bois were arrested for plotting to bomb a federal building during George Floyd protests.
These cases, along with the hundreds of individuals with military backgrounds accused of extremist crimes between 2017 and 2023, highlight the ongoing challenge of preventing and addressing extremism within the military and among veterans.
