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NEWS | March 25, 2021

Army Reserve division conducts extremism stand-down

By Staff Sgt. Shawn Morris 99th Readiness Division

The U.S. Army Reserve’s 99th Readiness Division conducted a virtual stand-down March 24 to address the impact of potential extremism in the ranks.

The event was hosted by Maj. Gen. Mark Palzer, 99th RD commanding general, who led 99th RD Soldiers and civilian employees in a discussion about the responsibilities of commands to foster an environment free of discrimination, hate and harassment.

“This is a very serious matter,” Palzer said. “There’s no place in our Army – there’s no place in our military – for extremist views and extremism.”

On Feb. 5, the Secretary of Defense signed a memorandum directing military units to conduct a stand-down to enable Army personnel to recognize, deter, and report incidents of extremism in the ranks, and understand how to further develop a climate wherein extremism will not be tolerated.

“Violent extremism poses a critical threat to the United States, both in the homeland and to U.S. operations overseas. Acts of violent extremism undermine the rule of law and the protection of human and civil rights,” Palzer said, quoting the U.S. Army’s Violent Extremism Guide published in June 2020. “The threat is not limited to a single political, religious, ethnic/cultural or ideological background. Regardless of its motivation, violent extremism can have devastating effects on both civilian and military communities and could, if left unchecked, impact Army readiness.”

The stand-down is part of a deliberate campaign to identify and eliminate the corrosive effects of extremist behavior in the workforce.

“We are an organization that prides itself on our diversity, and our strength comes from that diversity; failure to recognize that and to denigrate the diversity of both our military and our nation is one of the worst things we could do,” Palzer said. “We harm our readiness, and we harm our capacity to defeat our enemies and preserve our nation and our Constitution.

“Our diversity is not just diversity of ethnicity, of race, of creed, of color, of gender, of gender orientation; it’s the diversity of thought,” Palzer continued. “Diversity of thought is what we strive for because that’s how you get better, it’s what makes us strong as a nation.”
The stand-down is intended to educate personnel to recognize and report indicators of extremism and identify when to take further action, and ensure personnel understand – as part of their oath of office – their rights, responsibilities and limitations regarding their behavior and speech in accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

“You’re setting an example not just for yourself, not just for your family, not just for the Soldiers who are around you, but for your community,” Palzer said. “People look at you as an example and you have to be very clear that you are not associated with extremist organizations.”

In addition to this stand-down, the Army is actively engaged in multiple efforts to address extremism. This past July, the Army published revisions to Army Regulation 600-20: Army Command Policy, outlining policy regarding extremist organizations, cyber activity and social media.

“You have political beliefs- that’s fine. You have personal beliefs – that’s fine. You have religious beliefs – that’s fine,” Palzer said. “But you are not going to be part of an organization that’s going to take violent action.

The Army also requires all Department of the Army personnel to complete annual threat awareness training conducted by counterintelligence agents. This training provides a venue for the agent to address unique situations and answer questions, and also ensures Army personnel know their points of contact for reporting suspicious activity or behavior.

“The purpose of this stand-down is not to give you a lecture, but to start the discussion. I want you to have the hard discussions and I want it to be in a free and open environment,” Palzer said. “It’s okay to have those types of discussions. It’s not ok to fight about them, it’s not ok to have an argument that goes to violence; but it is okay to have discussions, that’s the foundation of our nation.”