Written as a reflection on the first anniversary of the 06 January riots at the US Capitol, this piece argues that the process of integrating into a hypermasculine military environment can create pathways of cultural and organizational familiarity for female veterans, especially those with combatant experience, to right wing extremist environments. It ends with a short discussion and recommendations for PCVE measures aimed at current and former service members. Understanding the radicalization journey of female veterans, as well as the roles they subsequently take up in right wing extremist movements could potentially improve P/CVE efforts. More research on the pathways taken by some female service members is needed in order to improve the gendered aspects of military P/CVE programming, which should account for the ways in which women and men have different military experiences.
2022