FBI: The American Military is Lousy, Through and Through, with (Black and Hispanic) Gangs

 

Soldier in a combat zone throwing gang signs, circa 2011 

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

The Pentagon has been obsessed for years with the non-existent problem of “white supremacist” gangs, and of keeping them out of the military. A white serviceman can be kept out of the service, or separated from it, for the “crime” of having white nationalist/white supremacist/neo-Nazi tattoos. However, the Pentagon has no similar policy regarding black or Hispanic gang membership or tattoos. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has been favoring black and Hispanic applicants for years, and unlike (even poor) white communities, where gang membership is the lowest of any identifiable racial or ethnic group, in most black and Hispanic communities, being a gang member is the default position for young men. Thus, it would be odd if the American military weren’t Gang Central. Of course, a PC outfit like Business Insider is never going to give you the straight dope—that’s what I’m here for—its readers will probably have concluded that the “gangs” in question are full of “skinheads.”

Tips ‘o the hate to Hans Gruen and Keith Preston.
 

The FBI Announces Gangs Have Infiltrated Every Branch of the Military

Robert Johnson
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Oct. 22, 2011, 7:48 A.M.
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The FBI has released a new gang assessment announcing that there are 1.4 million gang members in the US, a 40 percent increase since 2009, and that many of these members are getting inside the military (via Stars and Stripes).

The report says the military has seen members from 53 gangs and 100 regions in the U.S. enlist in every branch of the armed forces. Members of every major street gang, some prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMGs) have been reported on both U.S. and international military installations.

From the report:

Through transfers and deployments, military-affiliated gang members expand their culture and operations to new regions nationwide and worldwide, undermining security and law enforcement efforts to combat crime. Gang members with military training pose a unique threat to law enforcement personnel because of their distinctive weapons and combat training skills and their ability to transfer these skills to fellow gang members.

The report notes that while gang members have been reported in every branch of service, they are concentrated in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves, and the Army National Guard.

Many street gang members join the military to escape the gang lifestyle or as an alternative to incarceration, but often revert back to their gang associations once they encounter other gang members in the military. Other gangs target the U.S. military and defense systems to expand their territory, facilitate criminal activity such as weapons and drug trafficking, or to receive weapons and combat training that they may transfer back to their gang. Incidents of weapons theft and trafficking may have a negative impact on public safety or pose a threat to law enforcement officials.

The FBI points out that many gangs, especially the bikers, actively recruit members with military training and advise young members with no criminal record to join the service for weapon access and combat experience.

The full assessment is definitely worth checking out, if only for the pictures.