Marine Corps requires immediate reporting of extremism, gang activity

When U.S. Marine commanders hear about instances of extremism or gang activity in their ranks, they’re now required to call Marine Corps headquarters to report the allegations within 30 minutes of learning about them.

The new rule is part of a step-by-step guide for reporting extremism and gang activity released by the Marine Corps at the end of August. The guidance streamlines the reporting process, which has been inconsistent across the services.

The lack of uniformity for reporting and tracking allegations complicated efforts by the Defense Department Office of Inspector General to gauge the military’s response to extremism, the IG reported in 2023. The watchdog determined the DOD investigated 183 allegations of extremist activity among service members in 2023, but the IG doesn’t know how many allegations were made that weren’t investigated.

“The report highlights ongoing challenges in compiling and validating data, emphasizing the need for consistent implementation of data collection,” the IG said.

Read more: Marine Corps Times