Shortly after President Obama took office, word began to circulate among veterans and those of us with current service contacts that our military was being deliberately politicized. Those with combat experience were being sidelined for promotions, those with conservative viewpoints were eased out of the ladder for promotion, and specialized units like Special Forces received particularly close attention, almost amounting to the appointment of political commissars to ensure that they were "purged" of any disloyalty to the progressive left then in power.
That appears to have had a lasting effect. Cynical Publius warned about it yesterday.
There is an enormous problem in our nation’s military, one that I have not seen discussed in depth elsewhere.
I have heard from multiple sources that many active duty officers openly and deeply despise the Trump Administration, and they are not at all shy about expressing their opinion both in and out of uniform. One active duty major I know estimates that it’s 1 in 4 who have this problem. (Those of you who follow me probably know who that major is, but I’d rather keep that major out of this for his/her own protection.)
This is an astonishingly bad problem. Putting aside for the moment that this is a clear violation of Article 88 of the UCMJ, this is how military coups take place.
I guess I should not be surprised given Mark Milley’s traitorous actions towards his Commander-in-Chief, but the fact that this has permeated to lower levels of the officer corps surprises me and causes me great worry.
For reference, in my 22 years of commissioned service (starting in the late ‘80s), it was virtually impossible to know the political leanings of ANY officer unless they were an extremely close friend. Many officers purposely had no political preferences of any kind. In fact, I knew many officers who refused to even vote because it suggested that they were somehow partisan. This was an ethos that said “We serve under the Constitutional will of the American People; whomever the People select as the Commander-in-Chief is someone to whom I have a duty of absolute loyalty.”
This was a sacred bond, and still is supposed to be.
Apparently it no longer is.
This phenomenon suggests a complete breakdown in good order and discipline across our entire military, and throughout world history has been a precursor to rule by military junta. I am not exaggerating this threat. We cannot allow our military’s officer corps to continue down this path unchecked.
There needs to be a complete reversal of this trend before it’s too late. Pete Hegseth and his team need to get on top of this. But here’s the hard part—it’s not enough to just get these officers to shut their mouths. They need to also re-train their brains and their hearts to deeply understand and accept that they have a duty of loyalty both to the Constitution and the lawful orders of the chain of command the People elect under that Constitution, and that their current thoughts and actions are wholly incompatible with that duty.
I served under Bill Clinton. I know it’s possible because I’ve done it. If these officers cannot do this, they need to be separated from service. It’s better to have vacant officer positions than have them filled with people who are disloyal to their Constitutional duties.
Military officers have a solemn duty to the nation. Too many are ignoring this duty. This must change before it is too late.
I guess it goes without saying that the progressive left would welcome a military coup against the Trump administration. To them it would be "saving the nation" from his malign influence - regardless of the fact that the majority of Americans voted for him. He won both the Electoral College and the popular vote, making his constitutional and democratic legitimacy unshakeable . . . but they don't see it that way.
I blame President Obama for deliberately politicizing our military (and President Biden for continuing to do so). Obama, above all others, pushed to strip right-wing and conservative opinions out of senior officer ranks, and made it possible for the Milleys of this world to reach high rank. Too many of their deadwood remains in senior ranks, which is doubtless why Secretary of Defense Hegseth is looking into purging a great many Flag and General ranks and billets, and promoting new blood. I hope he plans to promote as many combat veterans as possible, because it's only "up the sharp end" that one develops a keen awareness of what a military force really needs. A bureaucratic or support-function soldier simply lacks that understanding.
Have any of you, dear readers, heard or seen anything similar to what Cynical Publius is reporting? If so (or if not) please tell us about it in Comments.
Peter
16 comments:
I wonder what all of these people think about having their attack plans published on social media. I wouldn't be very happy with a regime that told everybody where and when and what I was going to attack. It is only the responsibility of the editor of the Atlantic that kept it secret.
Next time, try and elect someone who knows how to run a country. I think that that is more important that their politics.
You are correct - 100% Barry Soetoro's fault. When he purged the pentagon everyone with half a brain made mention that this is how coup's succeed... and yet, crickets.
Cheeto Jesus needs to do the same w/ all those appointee's. Kick 'em the hell out, post haste!
Hi, Peter. For the record, I never served. I was on the opposite end of the spectrum with this reality when it came time for me to make my decision. I grew up at the end of the Cold War and strongly considered being an officer in the US Army. What I saw in the mid to late 90s regarding Clinton and other politicians, made me unable to put my name on the line. The second election, and the timing of when I had to make the up or down choice to go forward in the ROTC program, sealed it. I have a deep respect for those who could, but I just couldn't.
Dennis
Flag rank always has been and always will be political. If you want to stop this, or at least slow it down, lots of flag officers need forcible retirement. O-6s probably as well. Not sure what shape the academies are in and how much DEI affected officer recruiting.
Fckery from above would not be possible without fertile ground below. The decades of demoralisation make disaster inevitable, whether imposed from above at an opportune moment or budding forth organically.
How to fix it? Mass destruction, disorganisation, death....and hope the lesser evil prevails. There is no avoiding the train wreck. Many fellow passengers, superficially ok, will present as corrupt.
Stefan v.
Immediately brought to mind a scene in Heartbreak Ridge where Eastwood played a crusty old Gunnery Sergeant bringing a bunch of misfits back in like to his standards. Gunny helped his lieutenant and squad take an enemy stronghold for which their Major was castigating them for not following orders. The commanding General choppers in and asks the Major what his last assignment had been. Major "supply sir." General "were you good at it?" Major "Sir, yes sir!" General "well perhaps you should go back to doing what you're good at!"
I know it was just a film, but makes a perfect play on how some officers should never be allowed to assume a combat command.
Another propagandist enters the blog! For the record, there were no "attack plans" published on social media at all: at least, nothing resembling the attack plans I recall receiving/obeying when I wore a uniform. This is just another left-wing jab, seeking any apparent vulnerability and attacking it all-out in the media.
As for "electing someone who knows how to run a country" . . . Joseph Biden? I rest my case.
"This was an ethos that said “We serve under the Constitutional will of the American People; whomever the People select as the Commander-in-Chief is someone to whom I have a duty of absolute loyalty.”
This was a sacred bond, and still is supposed to be."
Right there is part of the problem. Officers take an oath to support and defend the Constitution. The president happens to be the commander of all military forces; but the loyalty is to the Constitution, not the president.
It is pretty ugly. I'd go so far as to say that it is completely broken. I would say that the Army and Navy are in far worse shape now than they were in the immediate aftermath of Vietnam. The sad thing is that any War College educated officer from 1988 could come in, estimate the current state of affairs and give them a solid report and 85% would simply refuse to believe the results. They ALL think THEY'RE good and who are we to tell them different. They haven't even cottoned on to the fact that we lost Afghanistan and got run out of their in days by the Taliban. That was the U.S. Army that did that. That was THEM.
Yes. First, all of the skirt and makeup wearing males are mentally ill.
Second is the support for Ukraine.
This would be no surprise. You would be a fool believing you can seize and maintain a hold on power without fully co-opting and controlling the military.
Those officers don't need to "shut their mouths".
They need to be identified, and separated immediately for the good of the service.
They should probably fire very nearly the entire general officer corps in all the services en masse as well, and percolate unblemished officers up from the lesser ranks until they've got a handle on tainted generals as well.
Now wish in one hand, and defecate in the other, and see which one fills up first.
If you are constitutionally (heh) unable to comply with the lawful orders of your superiors, the only honorable path you have is to resign your commission. Not resist, not subvert, not coopt, not obfuscate, etc., RESIGN.
Considering that there are as many admirals as there are ships (and I assume the rest of the forces are similarity top heavy), you could afford to strip a large percentage out without real loss.
Quibble: Our forces didn't get run out of Afghanistan, they were pulled out, in the most bass-ackwards way imaginable, by the previous administration.
Got to see a lot of an O-6 that taught at the War College while in Bosnia early 2000's. Guy was not only an idiot but a loon.
Of course, the commanding general ended up being busted about a decade later for expensing personal travel and such, so there's that...
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