Racial Extremism in the Army

In this thesis I examine the problem of white supremacist extremism in the Army. I begin by analyzing the phenomenon in general. First, I define extremism in general, and then give a summary history of white racial extremism in the United States, to include focusing on such hate groups as the Ku Klux Klan and the more modem phenomenon of skinheads. I then discuss the history of white supremacist extremism in the Army, culminating in the December, 1995 murders of two black civilians by soldiers assigned to the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. I compare and contrast the old and new Army policies on extremism. I defend the new policy as constitutional, based upon a reading of Supreme Court case law, and I analyze the justifications for the Supreme Court's deference to the military in determining its policies. I also look at the potential problems of the extremist policy being overly broad and a form of viewpoint-based discrimination. I propose a methodology to create local policies that will withstand constitutional scrutiny along these lines and lastly give three scenarios utilizing that methodology.