Military's anti-extremism policy might not apply to about a million reservists
The Pentagon is hoping that its updated extremism rules will help commanders weed out racist or anti-government behavior in their formations, but there may be a hitch: the National Guard contends that the rules only apply when troops are on federal orders and under the command of the president. With that understanding, about a million military reservists would be free to associate with hate groups and disseminate endless violent rhetoric online unless they are on active Reserve orders or activated for federal National Guard training or missions.
In July, the National Guard Bureau’s deputy director of manpower and personnel pushed out a memo to all 54 states and territories, to let them know that the Defense Department’s instruction regarding extremist activities does not apply unless their troops are in a Title 10 status, activated on federal orders at the behest of the president.
That would mean that for about 1 million troops, spending a Tuesday afternoon posting flyers for a neo-Nazi group or trolling the internet recruiting for the Oath Keepers would not be a threat to their ability to stay in the military, the way they would be for active-duty troops.
A Wisconsin Army National Guardsman who pleaded guilty to charges associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was not removed from service, Military.com reported in December.
Guardsman in Jan. 6 Mob Gets Probation, Still Serving in the Guard
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/12/15/guardsman-jan-6-mob-gets-probation-still-serving-guard.html
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2022/01/14/militarys-anti-extremism-policy-might-not-apply-to-about-a-million-reservists/
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