Will Carless

30 years ago, a van full of homemade explosives was detonated outside the Alfred P. Mara building, the federal building in Oklahoma City. 168 people died, including I believe it's 19 children who were in a preschool in the building. It was and remains the most deadly, the sort of most horrific act of domestic terrorism in the United States history.

30 years ago, a van full of homemade explosives was detonated outside the Alfred P. Mara building, the federal building in Oklahoma City. 168 people died, including I believe it's 19 children who were in a preschool in the building. It was and remains the most deadly, the sort of most horrific act of domestic terrorism in the United States history.

Sure. Sure. And I want to stress, I mean, look, an awful lot of people serve in the US military and everybody you talk to says, look, extremism is called extremism for a reason. It's extremely rare. And the vast, vast majority of service men and women don't have an extremist sort of thought in their minds.

Sure. Sure. And I want to stress, I mean, look, an awful lot of people serve in the US military and everybody you talk to says, look, extremism is called extremism for a reason. It's extremely rare. And the vast, vast majority of service men and women don't have an extremist sort of thought in their minds.

However, what the research has shown is that when you look at who commits violent extremism in this country and you look at their background, More often than not, they are likely to have a background in the U.S. military. And that as a factor is sort of more of a defining factor than things like race or political affiliation, things like that.

However, what the research has shown is that when you look at who commits violent extremism in this country and you look at their background, More often than not, they are likely to have a background in the U.S. military. And that as a factor is sort of more of a defining factor than things like race or political affiliation, things like that.

So that's how they've concluded that there is this kind of uncomfortable connection between military service and violent extremism.

So that's how they've concluded that there is this kind of uncomfortable connection between military service and violent extremism.

So in the wake of the January 6th insurrection, at which hundreds of people who were arrested turned out to have military backgrounds or indeed to have been serving in the military at the time, Then Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin launched a really significant campaign to try and basically root out extremism.

So in the wake of the January 6th insurrection, at which hundreds of people who were arrested turned out to have military backgrounds or indeed to have been serving in the military at the time, Then Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin launched a really significant campaign to try and basically root out extremism.

He set up a working group to study the question, and the working group came up with a number of different recommendations. I did a big investigation back in 2023. This was a couple of years after that effort had been launched. that found that basically only two of those recommendations had ever come to any fruition and that the others had pretty much fallen by the wayside.

He set up a working group to study the question, and the working group came up with a number of different recommendations. I did a big investigation back in 2023. This was a couple of years after that effort had been launched. that found that basically only two of those recommendations had ever come to any fruition and that the others had pretty much fallen by the wayside.

Now, we're a couple of years on from then, we have a new administration, we have a new Secretary of Defense, and

Now, we're a couple of years on from then, we have a new administration, we have a new Secretary of Defense, and

There's really a feeling that there's very little being done on this front, that most any of the programs that were set up to try and identify extremists have been shut down or are not continuing at the same time that we've got sort of potential risk of domestic violence, extremism, particularly from veterans.

There's really a feeling that there's very little being done on this front, that most any of the programs that were set up to try and identify extremists have been shut down or are not continuing at the same time that we've got sort of potential risk of domestic violence, extremism, particularly from veterans.

yeah so one thing i didn't realize before reporting out this story is that something like one in three federal workers has a background in military service. An awful lot of veterans end up working for the federal government.

yeah so one thing i didn't realize before reporting out this story is that something like one in three federal workers has a background in military service. An awful lot of veterans end up working for the federal government.

And that's the same federal government that has since sweeping cuts and sweeping reforms in the name of this Department of Government Efficiency, this Elon Musk doge effort that's sent an awful lot of people basically kicked out of their jobs.

And that's the same federal government that has since sweeping cuts and sweeping reforms in the name of this Department of Government Efficiency, this Elon Musk doge effort that's sent an awful lot of people basically kicked out of their jobs.