EXTREMISMUnder the Radar: Militias Use New Terminology to Hide in Plain Sight

Across the United States, militia groups are redefining how they identify themselves and each other, signaling a broader effort to soften their image and manipulate public perception. Research by the ADL Center on Extremism over the past year into many new militia groups shows they have eschewed the traditional “militia” moniker, especially those with younger members. While many groups continue to explicitly call themselves militias, others have embraced a new nomenclature and are using names such as “mutual assistance group” or “contingency group.”

These militia groups, like their older counterparts, still espouse an anti-government ideology with an emphasis on paramilitary training. While this rhetorical shift may seem cosmetic, the adoption of these new terms allows militia groups to camouflage their extremist ideology, sidestep public scrutiny and grow their networks both online and offline.

The Problem with “Militia”
Since the 1990s, groups have used the “militia” moniker to signal their participation in a movement that embraces an anti-government, conspiracy-oriented ideology and stresses armed paramilitary training. However, over the course of the movement’s history, federal and state authorities have convicted many militia group members for a wide range of criminal activities, from amassing illegal arsenals to violent plots and attacks. The extreme acts of many of its members forever tarnished the reputation of the militia movement.

The movement’s negative image has also hampered the efforts of militia groups to build inroads with local communities because most community members have typically rejected them. Bob Herget, a leader of the York County Poquoson Community Mission in Virginia, has claimed that his local sheriff advised him to abandon the group’s former name, “York County Poquoson Constitutional Militia,” allegedly anticipating that the community would have a problem with the word “militia.” Similarly, in the fall of 2024, a chapter leader of the Yellowstone Militia—a Billings, Montana-based  Three Percenter  militia group—stated to county commissioners during a meeting in which they volunteered to provide community “protection” that they “are not the bad militia that people… ha[ve] made it out to be”  and that there is an “unfortunate history of the word militia.”