New York, NY, June 25, 1996...The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today submitted several recommendations to the House National Security Committee in conjunction with the Committee's hearing on hate groups and extremism in the military.

"The League is encouraged by and supports the efforts of the armed services to respond vigilantly to extremist group recruiting of military personnel and extremist group activity in the military," said ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman. ADL urged the Committee to continue to view this issue as a priority, and submitted the following recommendations:

·The military should expand its resources for collecting data and information on extremist groups.

·Anti-bias training should be included as a component of basic training.

·The National Security Committee and appropriate military tribunals should regularly monitor and evaluate compliance with the military's guidelines on extremism.

The League's concern about extremist activity in the military has previously been the subject of correspondence with the Secretary of Defense, William Perry, and his predecessors. The ADL statement to Congress documented numerous examples from as long ago as 1976 to as recently as the murder late last year of two African-Americans in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Two white soldiers from Fort Bragg, NC, who were involved in the neo-Nazi skinhead movement, are suspects in the Fayetteville incident.

This past March, ADL welcomed the release of a report prepared by the Task Force on Extremism which called for clarification on the guidelines concerning extremism in the military. The League stated in its testimony that "the other services should follow the Army's lead and develop a coordinated response to extremism and hate."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.