Veteran Narratives of Support for Extremist Groups and Beliefs: Results from Interviews with Members of a Nationally Representative Survey of the U.S. Veteran Community
This RAND report follows up with U.S. military veterans who had indicated support for extremist groups or beliefs on a 2022 survey, conducting 2023 interviews to understand how they describe their service, their transition to civilian life, and the path to their current political and ideological views. The narratives surface a considerable presence of negative and traumatic experiences both during service and during the adjustment to civilian life, intertwined with stories of how veterans came to engage with extremist ideas and groups. The authors point to several possible implications for policy and practice, while emphasizing that further research will be needed to design, test, and calibrate any intervention.