At the rally and later at the Capitol breach, rioters were seen with Marine Corps flags, Army patches and Special Forces insignia.įederal officials are vetting thousands of National Guard troops arriving to help secure the inauguration. General Milley said he saw rioters carrying military flags. “There was some indication that an unknown number of veterans associated with the insurrection,” he said. Constitution.”įor more than a week now, General Milley has listened to analysts, read reports and viewed videos of the riots. He said most active-duty troops and veterans “continue to serve honorably and uphold their oath to protect and defend the U.S. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview. “These people are not representative our country’s military,” Gen. The military’s examination of its ranks marks a new urgency for the Pentagon, which has a history of downplaying the rise of white nationalism and right-wing activism, even as Germany and other countries are finding a deep strain embedded in their armed forces. A fourth person with military service was shot and killed in the assault. They are a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel from Texas, an Army officer from North Carolina and an Army reservist from New Jersey. investigation into the Capitol siege, still in its very early stages, has identified at least three suspects with military links out of the more than 100 people who have been taken into federal custody or the larger number still under investigation. 6, senior leaders of the 2.1 million active-duty and reserve troops have been grappling with fears that former or current service members will be found among the horde. In the days since a pro-Trump mob breached the Capitol on Jan.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is intensifying efforts to identify and combat white supremacy and other far-right extremism in its ranks as federal investigators seek to determine how many military personnel and veterans joined the violent assault on the Capitol.

Pentagon accelerates efforts root out