reSee.it Video Transcript AI Summary
Matt Kennard’s new book, irregular army: how the US military recruited neo Nazis, gang members, and criminals, investigates how during the war on terror the US military removed many regulations and admitted individuals with extremist or criminal backgrounds. He focuses on the less-publicized, secret relaxations rather than publicly visible changes like raising enlistment age. Kennard argues that wholesale deregulation allowed in soldiers who wore neo crusader imagery, such as swastikas, and others with criminal histories into the ranks, in part to avoid conscription after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the fear of Vietnam-era backlash.
He says the war on terror produced a crisis for the US military and that avoidance of conscription pushed the military to alter its rules. He notes Pete Hegseth, who he identifies as a figure connected to these dynamics, later leading the Department of War and bearing neo crusader imagery, as an example of individuals formed by this milieu. Kennard links this to a broader shift in US foreign policy and military posture, arguing the war on terror helped yield the conditions for Donald Trump’s rise by mobilizing a disaffected veteran base that criticized bipartisan consensus on endless wars, while Trump himself criticized nation-building even as that claim proved hollow.
Kennard traces how atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan can be linked to soldiers who were white supremacists, neo-Nazis, or criminals who received moral waivers to bypass regulations. He cites examples such as the Mamoudiyah massacre in 2006, where US troops murdered a 14-year-old girl’s father and sister, raped the girl, and burned the house, with initial attempts to blame insurgents until a conscience-driven whistleblower brought pressure. He also discusses Kenneth Eastridge, a soldier with swastikas and SS bolts who returned to the US and helped commit murder. He emphasizes a pattern where accountability in the field was often avoided or denied, paralleling the broader US military culture of denial.
A major portion of the book addresses the “war comes home”: the domestic impact of highly trained extremists returning to the US, and how this contributed to a white supremacist movement and threats to democratic stability. Kennard notes the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot had a high proportion of veterans and active-duty participants relative to their share of the population, and he points to Timothy McVeigh’s status as a veteran of the first Iraq War as an early warning sign.
He argues the roots of current tensions lie in the bipartisan war on terror, citing the Patriot Act and the imperial presidency as consolidating executive power, enabling actions like warrantless surveillance and extraordinary rendition. He asserts the system’s overreach created conditions allowing Trump to act with reduced legislative restraint and that this dynamic persists.
Kennard criticizes UK policy as deeply aligned with the US empire, citing the presence of bases like RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia, opaque intelligence on bases, and the lack of transparency about US military activity on UK soil. He argues that Britain’s foreign policy is effectively made in Washington and sometimes Tel Aviv, and that the UK’s role—often described as strong opposition to Trump—has been misrepresented, masking cooperation with aggressive actions.
The conversation closes with details about the book’s publication: All Books via OR Books, available on Amazon and other outlets; with forewords by Abi Martin and John Kiriakou.