6.6 Prohibited Activities: Extremism, Retaliation, Prohibited Relationships, and Political Activity

Prohibited Activities: Extremism, Retaliation, Prohibited Relationships, and Political Activity

Core Doctrine: AR 600-20, Chapter 4 (Military Discipline and Conduct) sets the boundaries of Soldier conduct, and AR 600-8-19, paragraph 3-11a makes extremist activity and retaliation mandatory situational subjects at every promotion board. This is not abstract policy; it is a list of things you are expected to stop in your squad.

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1. The Standard AR 600-20 Sets

Chapter 4 opens by requiring discipline to be maintained through "fairness and justice for all Soldiers, regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, and sexual orientation." Every prohibition in this section flows from that sentence.

Note the 2025 restructuring. The 6 February 2025 revision moved conduct between Soldiers of different grades out of AR 600-20 into AR 600-32 and DA Pam 600-35, and removed Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility policy per Executive Order 14151. A board answer that names the current publication demonstrates currency.

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2. Extremist Organizations and Activities

Participation in extremist organizations and activities is inconsistent with military service. AR 600-20 defines extremist organizations and activities as those that advocate:

1. Racial, sex, sexual orientation, or ethnic hatred or intolerance;
2. Creating or engaging in discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation;
3. The use of force or violence or unlawful means to deprive individuals of their constitutional or statutory rights; or
4. Support for terrorist organizations or activity.

What "active participation" means

This is the question boards ask, because Soldiers assume extremism means violence. Active participation — prohibited, and punishable under UCMJ Article 92 — includes:

• Fundraising for an extremist organization
• Recruiting or attempting to recruit others
• Attending rallies, demonstrations, or meetings sponsored by such organizations
• Distributing literature, flyers, or unauthorized insignia
• Creating, posting, liking, reposting, or sharing extremist content, propaganda, or symbols on social media or other digital platforms
• Displaying extremist symbols, including as tattoos, which AR 670-1 prohibits anywhere on the body

Mere passive receipt of information is not the standard; any act that advances the organization's cause is. This is why the digital examples matter — a repost is an act.

Leader action

A commander who receives an allegation initiates an inquiry or AR 15-6 investigation, imposes a flag under AR 600-8-2, and considers the full range of adverse action: relief for cause, a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand, UCMJ action under Article 92, and administrative separation under AR 635-200.

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3. Retaliation and Reprisal

AR 600-20, paragraph 6-2i is explicit. Members of the Army will not:

1. Retaliate against a member who files a discrimination or harassment complaint;
2. Knowingly make a false accusation of discrimination; or
3. While in a supervisory or command position, condone or ignore discrimination, harassment, disparaging terms, or a hostile work environment.

Retaliation is broader than a formal adverse action. It includes ostracism, exclusion from training or opportunity, sudden negative counseling, schedule manipulation, spreading rumors about the complainant, and pressuring witnesses. In the SHARP context under AR 600-52, retaliatory behaviors are part of the harm the program exists to eliminate, and the MEO professional prepares a reprisal plan the commander issues to the complainant, the subject, the chains of command and supervision, and the witnesses.

The third prohibition is the one that catches NCOs: condoning or ignoring is itself a violation. A squad leader who hears the squad freezing out a complainant and does nothing has committed the offense, not merely failed to prevent one.

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4. Prohibited Relationships

AR 600-20 prohibits relationships between Soldiers of different rank that:

• Compromise the chain of command;
• Result in, or reasonably create the appearance of, partiality or unfairness;
• Involve the improper use of grade or position for personal gain;
• Are, or are perceived to be, exploitative or coercive; or
• Create an adverse impact on discipline, authority, morale, or the ability of the command to accomplish its mission.

Categories that are prohibited regardless of individual circumstances include:

• Officer–enlisted personal relationships, including dating, shared living arrangements, and business partnerships;
• Relationships between permanent-party personnel and initial-entry trainees, and between recruiters and prospects or applicants;
• Any relationship between a trainer or cadre member and a trainee in a training environment.

Business relationships — including borrowing and lending money and multi-level marketing — between Soldiers of different ranks in the same chain of command are also prohibited when they create the appearance of partiality or coercion.

Marriage does not cure a prohibited relationship for officer–enlisted couples formed after entry on active duty; the command must address it, and the specific dispositions are prescribed in the governing publications, now AR 600-32 and DA Pam 600-35.

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5. Political Activity

DoD Directive 1344.10 is the controlling authority. The framework is simple:

Soldiers may not imply Army or Department of War endorsement of a candidate, cause, or party. On social media, a Soldier may follow and express personal views, but not while in uniform, not from an official account, and not in a way that suggests the Army has taken a position.

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6. What This Means at the Squad Level

• Correct on the spot. The overwhelming majority of these violations start as a joke, a sticker, a group-chat post, or a "tradition." A team leader who corrects it immediately prevents an AR 15-6 investigation.
• Report what you cannot correct. Extremist activity, retaliation against a complainant, and prohibited relationships involving trainees are all beyond a squad leader's authority to resolve. Report them.
• Do not investigate. Preserve the facts and hand the matter to the commander.
• Document. Counsel on DA Form 4856 and record what was said and what the plan of action is.
• Protect the complainant. Watch for ostracism after a complaint is filed. That is the retaliation the regulation is aimed at, and it happens inside the squad, not in the orderly room.