My Army Failed On Tuesday
My Army failed on Tuesday.
Not the whole Army, of course. Not even the majority of the soldiers at Fort Bragg who were present at the political rally held by President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth. But enough were active participants, in violation of principle, policy, and custom, that it constituted failure for the Army.
I’ll declare my personal interest: I spent almost 28 years in the Army uniform. My regiment’s historical home is Fort Bragg. I trained and served there. I know the sand, swamp, forest, and mountains of Mother Bragg. It is painful to see the installation and its soldiers become political pawns.
The spectacle of some soldiers enthusiastically cheering the president’s applause lines and jeering the mention of a former president, to say nothing of some in attendance wearing MAGA paraphernalia, was jarring to someone brought up to regard the apolitical nature of the armed forces as a sacrosanct principle. I’m sure that the great majority of soldiers have the same regard for that principle. But enough in the assembly at Bragg disregarded that principle that it shows failure of training, discipline, and leadership.
There are contrasts. In 2009 President Obama announced his policy on Afghanistan in a speech at West Point. There was no backdrop of uniforms on the stage. The audience stood at attention when the president arrived, listened, and stood at attention when he departed. Of course, it was a policy speech, not a political rally.
I was serving with a Joint Special Operations Task force in a combat area when President Obama was first elected. The day after the election two off-duty soldiers were spotted wearing Obama campaign t-shirts. They were quickly and forcefully sent back to their hooches to change.
In 2019 The Australian Chief of Defense Force interrupted a politically charged statement by the Minister of Defense to remove his officers from the stage. He did so deftly and respectfully – but he did it. It was a perfect lesson in civil-military relations.
In recent years all presidents have made sure there is a backdrop of uniformed troops, flags, and often military equipment in the picture when they make an appearance at a military installation. If the visit is merely to express gratitude to the troops and boost morale, that is acceptable. But when politics intrudes into the picture, that is not acceptable. One can be sure that any appearance by President Trump will be overtly political. Someday a military leader will have the same acumen and courage as the Australian general and refuse to provide that backdrop if the appearance is to have political content. Perhaps the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff can make that clear to the president.
Some have suggested that the Army should have refused to hold a parade in Washington DC, or that the National Guard should have refused orders to deploy to Los Angeles to support immigration enforcers. Balderdash. There was nothing illegal or unconstitutional in the orders to do these things. The orders might be self-serving, unusual, inappropriate, counterproductive, and distasteful, but they are not illegal or unconstitutional. (So far.) The military has a responsibility to provide best advice, but once a decision is made has no choice but to comply.
There is a definite line, however. Yesterday President Trump and too many soldiers who are duty-bound to be apolitical crossed that line. Do better, Army.
The author is a retired US Army Special Forces officer who is a member of The Steady State
Initially founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 270 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.