There is no evidence that the U.S. military has a disproportionate number of political radicals, according to a study commissioned by the Department of Defense, National Review reported on Tuesday.
The study, which was meant to assess the extent of extremism within the armed services, was carried out by a team of researchers from the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) and found "fewer than 100 substantiated cases per year of extremist activity by members of the military in recent years."
Concerns about the military being infiltrated by right-wing extremists were largely due to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, which resulted in nearly three dozen current and former service members being charged and coincided with the then-incoming Biden administration, which shared these apprehensions.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an independent study to get "greater fidelity" on the extent of extremism in the armed forces.
But the study found that "of the more than 700 federal cases in which charges were publicly available a year after these events, fewer than ten" were serving in the military at the time of the riot, and there's "no evidence that service members were charged at a different rate than the members of the general population."
The percentages changed when veterans are included, The Wall Street Journal reported, but pointed out that the Pentagon does not command former service members who are civilians.
Another major point of the study is that the Pentagon lacks coherent definitions of extremism that are widely understood, resulting in service members at all levels who are unaware of or confused about existing standards, National Review reported.
The study concluded that "in the absence of a clear and consistent message, there is a risk that misinterpretations could lead to a significant division in the force along political and ideological lines, with some members of the military believing that they are being targeted for their views."