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Our Unreliable Senior Military Leaders
Our senior military leaders are not reliable when it comes to supporting civilian control by the Commander in Chief. This is not new. Nor does it follow that the rest of the ranks necessarily track with the opinions of the most senior ranks. Consider three recent examples and one older case: Secretary of Defense Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley, Command Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell.
Secretary of Defense Esper and General Milley, together, used the cover of military non-political status to subvert President Trump’s authority. They have no role in invoking the Insurrection Act. They made their political “non-political” stand as Democrat mayors and governors allowed more destruction of property, more deprivation of citizens’ rights, and more killings than was seen in Arkansas in 1957. These two gentlemen knew full well the facts of Little Rock and President Eisenhower’s decision to nationalize the National Guard (taking them out of the control of the white supremacist Democrat governor) while ordering the 101st Airborne Division to go in with fixed bayonets. Yes, bayonets against American citizens. In that light, consider these two senior military leaders’ words.
Secretary of Defense Esper Addresses Reporters Regarding Civil Unrest [excerpt]
JUNE 3, 2020
Secretary Of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper