PREVENTING EXTREMISM AMONG VETERANS
Michael Kenney
In 1988, Pitt’s Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies was dedicated in honor of General Matthew Ridgway, a Pittsburgh native and war hero who jumped with his troops into Normandy on D-Day, became the commander of United Nations forces in the Korean War and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Michael Kenney, Wesley W. Posvar Chair in International Security Studies, professor of international affairs in the Graduate School of Public & International Affairs, directs the Ridgway Center today, which is dedicated to understanding past and emerging security problems that face the United States and the international community. Kenney is currently studying the phenomenon of active duty personnel being recruited by domestic American extremist groups.
“Leaving the military is a turning point in people’s lives, and they are not always prepared for what comes next.”
Kenney describes this as a low probability, high consequence problem—the probability of it happening is low, but when it happens, it can be devastating. He cites the case of Timothy McVeigh. A decorated soldier in the first Gulf War, McVeigh became radicalized in anti-government beliefs after leaving the military and in 1995 was responsible for bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 19 children.
“It’s not something that we want to overstate,” says Kenney. “Most American soldiers are perfectly fine. Even if some might have what seem like extreme beliefs, they are not violent extremists or terrorists. But militia movements have a strategy of recruiting veterans because they want people with military skills who know how to shoot and conduct military operations.”
Kenney sees this primarily not as a problem with extremism, but first and foremost as a problem of a lack of support for veterans.
“Leaving the military is a turning point in people’s lives, and they are not always prepared for what comes next,” he explains. “Some struggle to acclimate to civilian society. They may be dealing with mental health issues, problems with employment or maintaining significant relationships. And mental health issues can develop decades after their service.”
Beyond mental health and life issues, Kenney says that the Iraq War particularly left a legacy of drug addiction.
“Iraq had a devastating effect on drug use within the U.S. military, specifically among soldiers injured in combat, who were often prescribed powerful pain medication. A number of soldiers developed substance use problems that stayed with them after they left the military.”
Kenney sees his research as providing evidence to encourage policy change in the U.S. Department of Defense.
“We need to do a better job of giving our veterans the support they need. It is not acceptable for these people to be struggling given the amount of money that we put into our military. There needs to be a more sustained attempt to develop programs that support the reintegration of veterans into civilian life.”
Kenney says this multifaceted effort needs to include education and employment-based training and health care, particularly in mental health.
“We’ve got to invest more in mental health for our best and brightest veteran soldiers,” he says. “We are not getting the job done.”