Posted on 03/01/2025 9:31:06 AM PST by MtnClimber
An “Appeal to Congress” from five former secretaries of defense warns that Donald Trump is firing flag officers, which is unprecedented and an assault on American political norms. This letter is an appalling package of dangerous claims, and dumber than a box of rocks. But let’s take a helpful detour before we get into the details.
An essay yesterday from a professor at the US Naval War College makes a similar argument, and perfectly represents the moment:
Here’s the core of the argument, and if you read it carefully you’ll notice an interesting concession right at the center:
All evidence suggests that the new administration is removing top military officers for reasons other than competence or performance, aiming to replace them with people they see as more loyal to this specific administration.
The president does have the authority to remove these officers; three- and four-star officers hold that rank only while they possess the position of importance and responsibility to which they have been specifically nominated by the president, and they serve at the pleasure of the president. But just because something is legal does not make it wise.
Removing top military leaders either for faithfully implementing the policies of previous administrations or for their identity—rather than for incompetence or failing to perform their duties—is a move designed to consolidate and retain regime power. Removing the top uniformed lawyers simultaneously and without justification presages an intent to act in ways that truly independent lawyers might advise against. Together, these measures constitute a crisis.
So:
1. These measures constitute a crisis;
2. The president does have the authority to remove these officers…and they serve at the pleasure of the president.
It’s a crisis that the President of the United States is exercising authority that he has.
Now, the letter to Congress from the former SecDefs:
So firing generals and admirals is deeply disturbing, and it undermines the military — that kind of behavior can’t be tolerated. The President of the United States must be held to account for these reckless actions. In the comments to an earlier post, a reader reminded me of a book by Thomas Ricks, a history of American generals. Here’s how Chapter One starts:....SNIP
Weird, General George B. McClellan didn’t sign the letter.
In todays military, you are promoted to general because you have mastered the promotion system.
Remeber when delaying confirmations was the "politicization of the military?"
No it isn't, obama did it too.
Trump, unlike Obama or Biden is serious about national defense, and is not content to allow China to overtake us on the world stage. Therefore, he wants serious men to lead our military to victory if the need arises. Lincoln went through 3 leading generals before Grant, a “man [who] fights.”
Woke brass,get out
Wheels fell off the gravy train action called for.
Firing generals and admirals is deeply disturbing.
Don’t know about the other democrat signatories, but Mattis bathed himself in glory after retirement by serving on the board of Theranos, the fraudulent corp set up by convicted felon Elizabeth Holmes. It begs the question, as a Board member, shouldn’t Mattis have known it was all a scam? Or was the money just too good? Either way, why should his word carry any credibility?
Didn’t Truman fire McCarther?
"Authoritarian Tactics on US Soil," from August 5th 2020:
https://politicalviolenceataglance.org/2020/08/05/authoritarian-tactics-on-us-soil/
Excerpts:
Over the past two weeks, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) forces have violently quelled peaceful protests in Portland.
Trump has created, in effect, an internal federal security force with little accountability beyond the executive branch. These types of security forces are common in authoritarian regimes that need to maintain coercive control over the population while hedging against possibly disloyal militaries.
More barf-orama at the link.
Obama’s Military Coup Purges 197 Officers In Five Years!
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/197-military-officers-purged-by-obama/
My officer commission said that I would “serve at the pleasure of the President”. Maybe they have changed the terms of service in the many intervening years.
Also, from the article:
“The current president’s decision to fire flag officers isn’t a break with American law and tradition. The ‘Appeal to Congress’ from former secretaries of defense certainly is. The warning about a crisis is the crisis. This dangerous argument needs to be hammered into its grave, quickly and forcefully.”
Do the armed forces have anything like tenure or permanent status?
He didn’t worship generals. The pussyhat and Street terror and boycott campaigns quickly dried up the pool he could draw from. In the early days of 2017 even Pence quietly agreed with the narrative Tass Trump would be gone in a couple of months as a Russian asset. Generals were one of his few options.
What are you talking about? All the generals Trump picked and swooned over ended up sabotaging his presidency. Remember how he “loved his generals”? Picked Kelly as his CoS?
The pussy hats weren’t a threat and his generals contributed to the Russia-Russia undermining.
Baloney. The generals immediately tried to isolate and control him., starting with McMaster. Mattis worked against him constantly. Kelly undermined him and kept anyone MAGA from getting access.
His preferred choices were taken away by the boycott and street terror campaign in restaurants, on sidewalks, against family members, etc.
You have forgotten.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.