Military extremism remains a challenge. Now Marines have new rules

Will Carless, USA TODAY

The Marine Corps changes its rules on reporting extremism among the troops. An alleged Russian disinformation campaign involving far-right commentators. And a white supremacist group marches in downtown Tallahassee.

It’s the week in extremism, from USA TODAY.

U.S. Marines told to report extremism immediately

Following a steady drumbeat of scandals involving members of the U.S. Marine Corps entangled with extremist groups, the Marines announced a new set of policies at the end of August requiring extremist activity to be reported within 30 minutes of its discovery.

U.S. Marines train on a firing range to be members of an antiterrorism security team at a training ground in Chesapeake, Virginia, Sept. 25, 2012. The Corps has issued new rules requiring reporting of extremist activity.
U.S. Marines train on a firing range to be members of an antiterrorism security team at a training ground in Chesapeake, Virginia, Sept. 25, 2012. The Corps has issued new rules requiring reporting of extremist activity.

As USA TODAY first reported last year, efforts to combat extremism in the military after the Jan. 6 insurrection were plagued by years of delays and were largely not implemented.

  • A step-by-step guide for tackling extremist activity was released by the Marine Corps at the end of August. The guidance includes a hotline at the Marine Corps Operations Center for Marines and commanders to call to report extremist activity as soon as it is discovered.

  • The guidance also states that if the military member possesses a security clearance, that clearance should be suspended “based on credibility of the accusation.” This new rule follows high-profile incidents of military members leaking sensitive and high-secret information online.

  • The Marines’ new rules mirror similar actions taken in the U.S. Navy and Army.

The Pentagon updated  its definition of extremism in 2021. Notably, the new definition bans members of the military from “Engaging in electronic and cyber activities regarding extremist activities, or groups that support extremist activities.”

DOJ: Far-right influencers paid by Russian intelligence

A DOJ indictment unsealed this week accuses two Russian nationals of running a covert influence campaign that funneled millions of dollars to influential right-wing commentators via media companies in the U.S.

  • The Russian nationals, who worked for Russian state media outlet Russia Today, were indicted on accusations they funneled nearly $10 million to a Tennessee-based online content creation company to publish English-language videos on social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, X and YouTube.

  • Three of the commentators who worked for the content operation now say they are the victims of the disinformation scheme. Tim Pool, Dave Rubin and Benny Johnson, all well-known far-right commentators, all claimed ignorance about the scheme  in social media posts this week.

  • It’s not the first time Russian operatives have been accused of funding American activism and extremism. Last year, Four U.S. citizens, including the leader of Black Hammer, a far-left extremist group, were charged with working on behalf of the Russian government. That case is currently on trial in Florida.

White Supremacist group marches in Tallahassee

About two dozen members of Texas-headquartered white supremacist group Patriot Front marched through downtown Tallahassee, Florida, last weekend, waving flags and placing propaganda stickers reading “White N Radical.”

  • Patriot Front is mostly known for these public displays, at which members of the group appear, dressed in chinos and collared shirts with masks covering their faces. In 2022, 32 members of the group were arrested in Idaho and charged with conspiracy to riot.

  • The group, led by Thomas Rousseau, has been infiltrated and hacked several times. While it portrays itself as an organization that promotes traditional values, leaks of internal communications have revealed it is a committed white supremacist organization.

  • After the march in Tallahassee, local residents removed the stickers, calling them “racist garbage.”

Statistic of the week: Two years

That’s how long Robert Rundo would spend in prison as part of a plea agreement filed this week by federal prosecutors. Rundo, who led the white supremacist “fight club” the Rise Above Movement, was charged with federal rioting charges for a series of brawls across California in 2017. He fled to Eastern Europe and was extradited from Romania last year to face the charges.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marine Corps extremism rules; influencers in Russian influence claims

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