(U) Gang-related activity in the US military is increasing and poses a threat to law
enforcement officials and national security. Members of nearly every major street gang
have been identified on both domestic and international military installations. Although
most prevalent in the Army, the Army Reserves, and the National Guard, gang activity is
pervasive throughout all branches of the military and across most ranks, but is most
common among the junior enlisted ranks. The extent of gang presence in the armed
services is often difficult to determine since many enlisted gang members conceal their
gang affiliation and military authorities may not recognize gang affiliation or may be
inclined not to report such incidences. The military enlistment of gang members could
ultimately lead to the worldwide expansion of US-based gangs.
• (U) Gang members may enlist in the military to escape their current environment or gang
lifestyle. Some gang members may also enlist to receive weapons, combat, and convoy
support training; to obtain access to weapons and explosives; or as an alternative to
incarceration. Upon discharge, they may employ their military training against law
enforcement officials and rival gang members. Such military training could ultimately
result in more organized, sophisticated, and deadly gangs, as well as an increase in deadly
assaults on law enforcement officers.
• (U) Gang membership in the armed forces can disrupt good order and discipline, increase
criminal activity on and off military installations, and compromise installation security
and force protection. Gang incidents involving active-duty personnel on or near US
military bases nationwide include drive-by shootings, assaults, robberies, drug
distribution, weapons violations, domestic disturbances, vandalism, extortion, and money
laundering. Gangs have also been known to use active-duty service members to
distribute their drugs.
• (U) Military-trained gang members also present an emerging threat to law enforcement
officers patrolling the streets of US cities. Both current and former gang-affiliated
soldiers transfer their acquired military training and knowledge back to the community
and employ them against law enforcement officers, who are typically not trained to
engage gangsters with military expertise.
• (U) Gang members have been known to enlist in the military by failing to report past
criminal convictions or by using fraudulent documents. Some applicants enter the
criminal justice system as juveniles and their criminal records are sealed and unavailable
to recruiters performing criminal background investigations. Many military recruiters are
not properly trained to recognize gang affiliation and unknowingly recruit gang members,
particularly if the applicant has no criminal record or visible tattoos.
• (U) Gang members commonly target dependent children of military personnel for
recruitment. Military children are considered potential candidates for gang membership
because the transient nature of their families often makes them feel isolated, vulnerable,
and in need of companionship. Dependents of service members may be involved in drug distribution and assaults both on and off of military bases. Lax security at open
installations may facilitate recruitment by allowing civilian gang members to access the
base and interact with military personnel and their children.
• (U) While allowing gang members to serve in the military may temporarily increase
recruiting numbers, US communities may ultimately have to contend with disruption and
violence resulting from military-trained gang members on the streets of US cities.
Furthermore, most gang members have been pre-indoctrinated into the gang lifestyle and
maintain an allegiance to their gang. This could ultimately jeopardize the safety of other
military members and impede gang-affiliated soldiers’ ability to act in the best interest of
their country.