"With months of escalation between US cities and the Trump administration amid the deployment of national guard troops, former military officials released a report on Monday about the risks of politicizing the nation's armed forces. The report warns that increasing domestic military deployments, such as using national guard troops for immigration enforcement in the US, and removing senior military officers and legal advisers have made the armed forces appear to serve partisan agendas."
"The report, The Perils of Politicizing the US Military, was authored by six former service secretaries and retired four-star admirals and generals, including former army secretary Louis Caldera, former air force secretary Deborah Lee James, former navy secretary Sean O'Keefe, retired navy admiral Steve Abbot, retired coast guard admiral Thad Allen, and retired army general George Casey. The white paper comes as the Trump administration continues to battle the courts over deploying the national guard in Portland."
"After sending troops to the nation's capital, Trump sent others to Chicago and threatened to send more to other Democratic-run cities such as San Francisco and New York. Meanwhile, months of upheaval at the defense department have been a hallmark of Pete Hegseth's tenure. Last month, Hegseth, the US defense secretary, abruptly fired the navy chief of staff. In May, he ordered the military to cut 20% of its four-star generals and admirals."
Increasing domestic military deployments and the removal of senior military officers and legal advisers have created the appearance that the armed forces serve partisan agendas. The use of troops, bases, and ceremonies in partisan settings has blurred the line between military service and political messaging, eroding morale and public trust in the military's apolitical character. Troops in Washington, DC were ordered to remain through at least February, while forces were sent to Chicago and threats were made to deploy to other Democratic-run cities. Defense Department upheaval has included firing the navy chief of staff, ordering a 20% cut among four-star generals and admirals, and dismissing more than half a dozen top generals and the only two women serving as four-star officers.
#military-politicization #national-guard-deployments #civil-military-relations #defense-department-leadership-changes
Read at www.theguardian.com
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