OUR PICKSWhy America Fell Out of Love with Its Army | The Role of 'Active Clubs' in the American Far Right | Identifying Motivations Behind Mass Casualty Attacks, and more
· The Role of ‘Active Clubs’ in the American Far Right
The decentralized white supremacist cells are growing across the United States
· It’s Become More Difficult to Identify Motivations Behind Mass Casualty Attacks: DHS
Eight attacks were examined, according to the Department of Homeland Security
· Neo-Nazis in the U.S. No Longer See Backing Ukraine as a Worthy Cause
Like mainstream Republicans blocking military aid, American rightwing extremists are disavowing a war they once admired
· Man Allegedly Posted on Social Media That He Planned Racially Motivated Mass Violence: DOJ
Officials have repeatedly said they are concerned about domestic extremism
· HSToday Expert Threat Forecast: Part One – Terrorism
HSToday experts provide their insights to the 2024 threat landscape for homeland security professionals
· Mine-Spotting Drones and Tracked Robots: The Army’s Efforts to Breach Minefields with Tech
Advanced drones can use machine learning to identify specific mine type
· Why America Fell Out of Love with Its Army
A lack of truth and accountability tends to have a bad effect on trust, and as it turns out, recruitment, too
· The New York Times’ Lawsuit Against OpenAI Could Have Major Implications for the Development of Machine Intelligence
OpenAI is alleged to have used the Times’ articles in the data they use to train (improve) and test their systems
The Role of ‘Active Clubs’ in the American Far Right (Justin Klawans, The Week)
Due to their scattered nature, the exact number of active clubs can be difficult to quantify. However, a September 2023 report from the nonprofit Counter Extremism Project identified 46 active clubs across the United States. Most of these clubs are unique to a single state, such as the three identified in California and two each in Pennsylvania and Nevada. But at least one of them also crosses state lines, according to the Counter Extremism Project: the Great Lakes active club, which has members in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. While some of these clubs may have less than 30 members, they typically maintain a large social media presence. Active clubs are also becoming more prevalent in other areas of the world. The Counter Extremism Project identified 12 active clubs in Canada and 46 across Europe. Unlike the majority of hate groups, active clubs “do not have a top-down hierarchy,” Rolling Stone reported, instead operating as a network of “locally run cells that all share the same ethos.” The thinking behind this, according to the Counter Extremism Project, is that the arrest of one active club leader will not have an effect on the overall network.
It’s Become More Difficult to Identify Motivations Behind Mass Casualty Attacks: DHS (Josh Margolin and Sasha Pezenik, ABC News)
A toxic brew of ideological extremism, blended with rage, anger and violent tendencies is making it increasingly difficult for authorities to identify motivations behind mass casualty attacks in America, according to a new assessment by the Department of Homeland Security. The confidential analysis, distributed to law enforcement on Jan. 10 and obtained by ABC News, describes the growing challenge posed by perpetrators who “espoused and engaged with an array of narratives,” often online, “likely fueling their mobilization to violence.” Those attackers’ range of beliefs made it easier to escape the longstanding templates law enforcement uses to catch would-be threats – and made it harder for police to intervene or secure potential targets, the analysis found. “Since 2018, we have observed mass casualty attacks in which the perpetrators held multiple grievances, challenging our ability to identify a primary motive,” the bulletin said.
