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   Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:10 JST Nonilex

   During his campaign, #Trump vowed to purge the military of so-called "woke" generals. Now that he is president-elect, the question in the halls of the #Pentagon is whether he would go much further.

   Trump is expected to have a far darker view of his #military leaders in his 2nd term, after facing Pentagon resistance over everything from his skepticism toward #NATO to his readiness to deploy troops to quell protests on #US streets.

   #NationalSecurity
   https://www.reuters.com/world/us/how-trump-presidency-could-lead-purge-pentagon-2024-11-10/

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:02 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     During his first admin, some of #Trump's controversial suggestions to advisers, such as potentially firing #missiles into #Mexico to destroy drug labs, never became policy in part because of pushback from ofcls at the #Pentagon.

     "This will be 2016 on steroids & the fear is that he will hollow out the ranks & expertise in a way that will do irreparable damage to the Pentagon," the official said.

     #NationalSecurity #US #military #defense

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:03 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     "I'm deeply concerned about their ranks," the ofcl said, adding that several colleagues had expressed concern about the future of their jobs.

     Career #CivilServants are among the nearly 950k non-uniformed employees who work within the US #military & in many cases have years of specialized experience.

     #Trump vowed during the campaign to give himself the power to gut the federal workforce across the government.

     #NationalSecurity

     HistoPol (#HP) 🥥 🌴 repeated this.
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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:04 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     Career #CivilServants at the #Pentagon could be subjected to #loyalty tests, current & fmr ofcls say. #Trump allies have publicly embraced using executive orders & rule changes to replace thousands of civil servants with *#conservative* allies.

     A senior US #defense ofcl, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters there was increasing concern within the Pentagon that Trump would purge career civilian employees from the department.

     #NationalSecurity

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:05 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     But some experts caution that #Trump has wide latitude to interpret the #law & US troops cannot disobey legal orders they consider to be morally wrong.

     "There is a widespread public misperception that the military can choose not to obey #immoral orders. And that's actually not true," said Kori Schake of the *#conservative* American Enterprise Institute.

     Schake warned that a 2nd Trump term could see high-level firings as he pushes ahead with controversial policies.

     #NationalSecurity

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:05 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     "I think there will be an enormous #chaos premium in a 2nd Trump term, both because of the policies he will attempt to enact & the people he will put in place to enact them in terms of appointments," she said.
     One US #military ofcl downplayed such concerns, saying…that creating chaos within the #US military's chain of command would create political backlash & be unnecessary for Trump to accomplish his goals.
     "…military officers are generally focused on warfighting & not politics," the ofcl said.

   • Embed this notice
     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:06 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     During the campaign #Trump took aim at #transgender troops. Trump has previously banned transgender #ServiceMembers & posted a campaign ad on X portraying them as weak, w/the vow that "WE WILL NOT HAVE A WOKE MILITARY!"

     Trump has suggested the #US #military could play an important role in many of his policy priorities, from tapping #NationalGuard & possibly active-duty troops to help carry out a #MassDeportation of undocumented #immigrants to even deploying them to address #domestic unrest.

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:06 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     Such proposals alarm #military experts, who say deploying the #military on American streets could not only violate #laws but turn much of the American population against the still widely respected #US armed forces.

     In a message to the forces after #Trump's election win, outgoing #Defense Secretary #LloydAustin acknowledged the results of the election & stressed the military would obey "all lawful orders" from its civilian leaders.

     #NationalSecurity

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:07 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     The 4-star general, who is Black, issued a video message about #discrimination in the ranks in the days after the May 2020 murder of #GeorgeFloyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, & has been a voice in favor of #diversity in the #US #military.

     …#Trump's vice president-elect, #JDVance, voted as a senator last year against confirming Brown to become the top U.S. military officer, & has been a critic of perceived resistance to Trump's orders within the #Pentagon.

     #NationalSecurity

   • Embed this notice
     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:07 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     "If the people in your own government aren't obeying you, you have got to get rid of them & replace them with people who are responsive to what the president's trying to do," #JDVance said in an interview w/ Tucker Carlson before the election.

     During the campaign, #Trump pledged to restore the name of a #Confederate general to a major #US #military base, reversing a change made after #GeorgeFloyd's killing.

     #NationalSecurity #Racism #WhiteSupremacy

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:08 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     "I would fire them. You can't have (a) woke military," #Trump said.

     Some current & fmr ofcls fear Trump's team could target the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, a widely respected fmr fighter pilot & #military commander who steers clear of #politics.

     #NationalSecurity

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     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:09 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     #Trump's former #US generals & #defense secretaries are among his fiercest critics, some branding him a #fascist & declaring him #unfit for office. Angered, Trump has suggested that his former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, #MarkMilley, could be executed for treason.

     Current & former U.S. officials say Trump will prioritize #loyalty in his second term & root out #military officers & career #civil servants he perceives to be disloyal.

     #NationalSecurity

     Paul Cantrell repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Nonilex (nonilex@masto.ai)'s status on Sunday, 10-Nov-2024 22:38:09 JST Nonilex

     in reply to

     "He will destroy the Department of #Defense, frankly. He will go in & he will dismiss generals who stand up for the #Constitution," said Jack Reed, the #Democrat who leads the #Senate #ArmedServices Cmte.

     Culture war issues could be one trigger for firings. #Trump was asked by FoxNews in June whether he would fire generals described as "woke," a term for those focused on #RacialJustice & #SocialJustice but which is used by *#conservatives* to disparage #progressive policies.

     #NationalSecurity