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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

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Defense &
National Security

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The Big Story

Fears of extremism in military jump after New Year’s attacks

The primary suspects in two deadly New Year’s Day attacks shared a history of service in the U.S. military, underscoring persistent fears over extremism within the armed services.

The suspect behind a truck rampage in New Orleans that killed 14 people, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran, while the man allegedly behind the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck before the international Trump hotel in Las Vegas, Matthew Livelsberger, was active-duty Army.

While not the first acts of military extremism, the two deadly attacks amplify questions about the extent of radical and unstable veterans and active-duty troops and whether the Pentagon’s efforts to identify and root out extremist beliefs are working.

Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, who has studied military extremist activity for decades, said the unresolved problem was particularly dangerous because veterans and active duty service members can kill more efficiently.

“The military has not adequately addressed the problem, whether it’s white supremacists or Islamic extremists,” she said. “These cases are a reminder of how important it is that people with potential to become extreme aren’t trained in military tactics.”

Jabbar, 42, was a U.S. citizen from Texas who served in the Army from 2007 to 2020, including a year of deployment in Afghanistan, and retired as a staff sergeant. It’s unclear if he served in combat, but he was trained as an information technology specialist.

Police said they found an ISIS flag in his truck and social media posts online sympathizing with the U.S.-designated terrorist group.

Less is known about the motivation of Livelsberger, who police have identified as the suspect behind the Cybertruck that exploded in front of the Trump hotel after it was loaded with explosives. Only Livelsberger was killed in the blast but seven others were injured.

Livelsberger was an active-duty Green Beret stationed in Germany, but was on leave for the holidays, according to media reports. He was an operations master sergeant.

The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland found last year that at least 721 individuals with U.S. military backgrounds committed criminal acts in the U.S. from 1990 through April 2024, with a political, economic, social, or religious goal.

According to START, the number of individuals with military backgrounds engaged in extremist attacks has increased from 11 percent in 2018 to 18 percent in 2022.

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell— your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

Trump border czar: New Orleans, Las Vegas attackers ‘both on a suicide mission’

President-elect Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said the New Year’s Day attackers in both New Orleans and Las Vegas were on “a suicide mission.” “I think both these incidents, Las Vegas and New Orleans … they’re both going to be U.S. citizens, they’re both going to have recent foreign travel, they both were on a suicide mission, neither one of them thought they were going home,” Homan said Wednesday on Fox News. Early Wednesday, …

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Ukraine stops transport of Russian gas to Europe

Ukraine has halted the transportation of Russian gas supplies through the country after a prewar transit deal expired at the end of last year, the nation’s energy minister confirmed. Ukraine Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko said Wednesday morning on the Telegram messaging app that the transit was stopped “in the interests of national security.” “This is a historic event. Russia is losing markets and …

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Trump, Putin advisers trade barbs heading into new year

The year is ending with a pair of sharp messages between top advisers to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and President-elect Trump. Trump’s choice for special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, slammed a Russian missile and drone attack from last week. “Christmas should be a time of peace, yet Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day,” Kellogg wrote Wednesday on social platform X. “Launching …

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On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:

The Atlantic Council is launching the fourth issue of the Defense Journal on Tuesday, Jan. 7, and hosting a discussion on the future of NATO and US-Turkey defense relations.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is hosting a virtual conversation with Christopher Maier, assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, on “The Future of Irregular Warfare,” on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Brookings and National Chengchi University will host a panel of experts discussing what people in Taiwan and the United States think about Taiwan’s security situation, on Thursday, Jan. 9.

In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Las Vegas suspect suffered gunshot wound to head prior to explosion, police say

Las Vegas police said the suspect who died inside a Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel on Wednesday had sustained a gunshot wound to the head prior to the explosion that destroyed the vehicle and injured seven people. Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill released more information about …

Full Story

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Breaking down the number of veterans in the 119th Congress (Military Times)
Here’s where Trump’s Pentagon and national security nominees stand ahead of the new year (Military.com)

Trending Today

Two key stories on The Hill right now:

Cheney gets standing ovation as Biden awards Presidential Citizens Medal

President Biden honored former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and several other Americans Thursday with the Presidential Citizens Medal to recognize … Read more

How Trump’s inaugural address could deliver the biggest shock of all

President Trump could surprise the world by delivering a speech of genuine humility and grace during his second inaugural address, acknowledging the … Read more

Opinions in The Hill

Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:

Vehicles are increasingly the terrorists’ weapon of choice
Time is running out for Iran-US diplomacy. Trump should strike a deal with Iran.
Israel should strike Iran now, paving way for Trump 2.0