The USMC troops won’t support a coup. However, the officer corps is alterable. Remember Clinton purged the officer corps of the army, navy and AF pretty thoroughly which contributed mightily to our getting bogged down so long in Iraq. The junior officers filtering up finally pulled us out of the doldrums there. The surge helped but it was the new leadership that did it. A neutered officer corps could probably not lead the marines into something unconstitutional but they can keep them from interfering. Besides, chances are that the military would be deeply involved in a coup before the troops understand what is going on.
No, I don't remember that. Tell us about it.
I remember a huge RIF instigated by Poppy Bush and "Big Dick" Cheney that put a troopie named Tim McVeigh on the street.
I also remember that that RIF was planned -- along with the mothballing of numerous ships and aircraft -- and the disbandment of the heavy European corps, by Poppy so that he could cut a big tax-cut check for his Yalie pals back on Park Avenue. And that the Gulf War was a huge annoyance and distraction, and forced him and "Big Dick" to postpone the big drawdown. Didn't stop "Big Dick" from ordering Grumman to cut up the jigs and dies for the F-14, though. Show them who's boss -- no more F-14's!
Bet there are a few carrier admirals around now who'd like to have that one back.
I remember all that. The huge "peace dividend" was Poppy's idea.
But I also know that, after Poppy cut back NASA's space program, that Slick came in there and gutted the Shuttle's program personnel -- including most of their range-safety people, which led directly to the Columbia accident. Slick raped the DoD stores and training budgets, too.
I also remember that Bush 43, after the loss of Columbia, did a further 15% carve-out of Shuttle program budget funds, and dedicated it to a classified Air Force program that would use the Shuttle on some missions. The carve-out was Sean O'Keefe's work -- he was the green-eyeshade jockey that Dubya appointed to head NASA, coming over from OMB to do his "magic" at NASA -- and it was announced three months to the day after the Columbia accident. All of that, on top of Slick's defalcations.
But I didn't hear that Slick also did a --what, political? or just warm bodies? -- "purge" of the Armed Services' officer corps.