Overview
- The white paper, The Perils of Politicizing the US Military, released Monday, says partisan use of troops, bases and ceremonies has blurred the line between service and politics and is eroding morale and public trust.
- The authors point to ongoing domestic deployments, including court fights over sending the National Guard to Portland and an order keeping Guard units in Washington, D.C., through at least February, with troops also sent to Chicago and threats to deploy to San Francisco and New York.
- Under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon has seen rapid personnel changes, including last month’s firing of the Navy chief of staff, a May directive to cut 20% of four-star billets, the February removal of Joint Chiefs chair CQ Brown Jr., and the ouster of the only two women serving as four-star officers.
- The report is authored by six former senior leaders: Louis Caldera, Deborah Lee James, Sean O’Keefe, Adm. Steve Abbot (ret.), Adm. Thad Allen (ret.) and Gen. George Casey (ret.).
- The authors warn that lost public trust will hinder recruitment and retention, complicate reassurance of allies, and weaken deterrence against adversaries.