WHITE NATIONALISM AMONG U.S. ARMED FORCES: AN ANALYSIS OF DOD RESPONSE EFFECTIVENESS

This thesis evaluates the current response put forth by the Department of Defense (DOD) regarding extremism in the U.S. armed forces. An evaluation of past efforts to eradicate extremism from U.S. security institutions found a trend of failing to capitalize on opportunities to implement meaningful corrective action; this failure was most often a result of racism, both interpersonal and institutional, within the DOD and law enforcement agencies. Current efforts in Indonesia and Germany to address extremist activity in the armed forces provide examples of additional options to undertake in the removal of extremists from the DOD, namely the importance of cooperative efforts undertaken between civilian and military agencies as well as robust interagency cooperation of government agencies. This thesis concludes with an evaluation of the measures currently being undertaken by the DOD and finds that while the initial measures are promising, further action will ultimately need to be taken in order to address the extremism problem the DOD is currently facing.Lieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited