'Sleeping danger' within military could become official policy under Trump nominee: expert

The author of a landmark report on extremism in the military is worried that the "sleeping danger" within the armed forces will erupt into official policy during Donald Trump's second presidency.

Bishop Garrison spearheaded an internal investigation by the Department of Defense in 2021 to identify extremist activity within the military, and his efforts made him the target of a right-wing smear campaign – in which Pentagon chief nominee Pete Hegseth joined from his perch at Fox News – that ultimately shelved his recommendations, reported The Guardian.

“The committee should ask some very direct questions about Hegseth’s previous statements," said Garrison, a decorated combat veteran. "This is not about political rhetoric, it’s about keeping people safe and ensuring that military units are able to carry out their mission of protecting the country.”

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Hegseth, who will appear Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee for the start of his confirmation process, accused Garrison of carrying out a "patriot purge" and pledged to roll back his efforts to root out extremism within the ranks, but the former Defense Department official who served under both Barack Obama and Joe Biden said recent events showed the need for his work.

“As far as I know, there was never any implementation of our policies,” Garrison said. “We finished our recommendations, we had been attacked, our recommendations were not adopted.”

Garrison's working group's final report, which called for monitoring of extremist activity, improving screening of recruits and training for serving personnel, among other recommendations, and he fears more attacks like two deadly incidents on New Year's Day involving discharged or serving members of the armed forces.

“Both incidents demonstrate the sleeping danger that we have failed to deal with as a country," Garrison said. "I am worried that we will see more of this type of action taking place, that it will become more bombastic and stronger, and that more people will be injured or killed."

A U.S. Army veteran drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers last week in New Orleans, killing 14 people, and an active-duty Green Beret blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Las Vegan Trump hotel, killing himself, and Garrison said both men's histories underscored a need for a change within military culture regarding mental health, and better resources to help those who may be drawn to extremist ideology.

“It’s clear that [the Cybertruck bomber] didn’t feel comfortable getting the type of help he needed, because he was concerned it would have an adverse effect on his career,” Garrison said. “That’s a cultural problem within the military, and that is something I know that the secretaries of the Army, Navy and Air Force are all working very hard to address.”