With U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s emphasis on the issue of extremism in the military, the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, together with George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, undertook an examination of those with military experience charged in the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

This report uses federal court documents to examine the prevalence, demographics, and characteristics of individuals with military experience who were charged for their involvement in the siege on the U.S. Capitol. Several key findings emerge from this analysis. First, this report reveals that most of the arrestees with military experience were veterans. Among the 357 individuals charged as of March 31, 2021, this analysis identified 43 (12%) as having some form of military experience. Of the 43 arrestees with military experience, 40 (93%) had left the military and were veterans at the time of their arrest. Second, there appears to be a greater prevalence of affiliation with domestic violent extremist organizations among arrestees with military experience than those without. 37% of individuals with military experience had affiliations to domestic violent extremist (DVE) organizations like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, around four times more likely to be a part of such groups than those without military experience. Third, there is a large amount of nuance when it comes to arrestees with military experience, among whom were young and old, almost every branch of service, longtime soldiers and those who left early on in their careers. This nuance suggests both a need for more research and continued care in dealing with this difficult issue.