Army Times published a murky piece on Wednesday about gang influence in the Army.

Recent reports by the FBI and the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command show that gang-related activity in the U.S. military is increasing. The FBI report (.pdf) concludes the increase poses a threat to law enforcement officials and national security.

The FBI report comes across as rather alarmist, with some recitation of detail drawn from various sources.

Some experts point to looser recruiting standards, implemented in recent years as the Army struggles to meet recruiting goals, and the increase in waivers given to recruits with criminal records as a factor behind gang presence in the ranks.

Each year since 2003, an increasing number of applicants with records of everything from traffic violations to felony convictions have been allowed to enlist in the Army under “moral waivers.” In fiscal 2006, 7.9 percent of all recruits received moral waivers, compared with 4.6 percent in 2003, according to Recruiting Command.

War has often been cynically characterized as gang warfare writ large, so it might not be too surprising to learn bangers are signing on for advanced OJT. During the Viet Nam era there was great distress in certain parts of our society over the “Negroes” learning weapons and tactical lessons which they might bring home to the US to enforce whatever horrible plan of civic disruption these cloistered elites feared could erupt in the cities.

Likewise I wonder whether our nativist war boosters on the never-right have carefully considered the potential effects of all these Latino gang-bangers coming home with urban warfare experience.

Can you say “reconquista” Ms Malkin?

So far this year, more than 9,000 recruits have received moral waivers to join the service. That’s 11 percent of all new enlistees in fiscal 2007, which ends Sept. 30.

Army officials could not say whether any gang members or former gang members were allowed into the ranks under waivers. But at least one expert said it stands to reason that if you open the door to more people with criminal backgrounds, some of them will have gang affiliations.

One could expect those Army officials would not say whether any gang members were signed up. Be certain they know. They’ll have heard about it through internal sources, and I’d be surprised if some of them aren’t sweating bullets.

I told you mutts it was smarter to draft College Republicans.

According to the FBI report, members of nearly every street gang have been identified on domestic and international military installations, and gang members have been known to enlist in the military by failing to report past criminal convictions or by using fraudulent documents.

The FBI report said that since 2004, authorities have identified more than 40 military-affiliated Folk Nation gang members at Fort Bliss, Texas, who have been involved in drug distribution, robberies, assaults, weapons offenses and a homicide. Since 2003, nearly 40 gang members have been identified at Fort Hood, Texas, and members of the Gangster Disciples based on post have been responsible for robberies, assaults, thefts and burglaries, according to the report. In addition, nearly 130 gang and extremist group members have been identified at Fort Lewis, Wash., since 2005, and in 2006, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service reported that gang members are increasing their presence on or near U.S. military installations.

I have a lot of respect for the FBI when it comes to catching bank robbers, and assorted violent crime against property. They also do great press briefings. But when it crimes to the softer crime areas, involving sociological manifestations, their public persona seems to tend more towards repression of the middle and lower classes. That’s just my impression; I could be wrong. I have been before.

Now, the Army’s CID report (.pdf) stands in stark contrast to the FBI report.

The commanders of CID, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Naval Criminal Investigation Service sent a memo to the director of the FBI to dispute some of the statistics and facts in its Jan. 12 report.

The CID official attributed the increase in gang-related reports and investigations to a recently adopted uniform method in identifying such activity.

A CID official said that just 16 of 10,000 felony investigations last year were gang-related. But that’s up from 10 in 2005, five in 2004 and four in 2003. In all, CID special agents reported 61 gang-related incidents on 18 Army installations in 2006. That number includes the 16 that warranted the investigations reported that same year. There were 23 incidents in 2005, nine in 2004 and 12 in 2003.

A cynical man would remember the scene in the National Lampoon comedy Animal House where Kevin Bacon is admonishing the citizens to “remain calm. All is well” just before he gets trampled flat by a hundred screaming people trying to escape.

“We do not see it as a rampant problem, but we’re not denying it,” said a senior official with Army Criminal Investigation Command, who asked not to be identified. “It’s a low threat, but it’s a serious problem. We’ve never denied that it exists.”

Two of the 16 CID felony investigations in 2006 were homicides. The other investigations included crimes related to drugs, assault, robbery, sexual assault and weapons smuggling.

Of the 31 gang-related investigations conducted by CID between 2004 and 2006, about half involved junior enlisted soldiers, E-1 through E-4; a third were civilians; and 14 percent were sergeants or staff sergeants.

Parse those words, baby, parse those words. We will remain calm because you have assured us all is well.

UPDATE: WK - who is not - I repeat not - a very trivial guy, but does know a lot of trivia - reminds me it was Kevin Bacon assuring us all was well in Animal House.