Actions against Mark Milley ‘negatively impact’ national security
Former service secretaries, a general, and admirals penned an opinion article addressing Trump administration actions against military officers. They mentioned Retired General Mark Milley and former Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan to showcase their argument. The authors claimed that these actions risk sending a message to the ranks that the Trump administration will not tolerate differences in opinion. They felt that treating military officers this way would endanger currently serving troops.
From Military.com:
Intentionally or not, these actions run the risk of sending a message to all uniformed leaders as well as rank-and-file military service members that this administration will not tolerate differences of opinion. They undermine 236 years of tradition since the signing of the Constitution that have served this country well.
This is a dangerous message to send to those we count on to protect our country. It not only undermines morale and cohesion within the ranks but also threatens the American people’s trust in the armed forces — and ultimately endangers our men and women in uniform. Strong and healthy civil-military relations are vital to both a properly functioning democracy and our military’s readiness to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We realize that this might seem like an arcane principle to most Americans but, from our experience in both Republican and Democratic administrations, it is of vital importance and not something that we should take for granted.
Since the founding of the republic and formation of our Constitution, the United States has adhered to a principle of civilian control of the military. The president and his appointed civilian leaders make the choices and decisions necessary for our nation’s security. Each administration will have its priorities for defense strategy and policy, but civilian leaders’ decisions will be ill-informed if senior military leaders don’t tell them the hard truths and implications of their policies and strategies because of the threat of retaliation.
The U.S. military’s strength depends on its ability to remain above the fray of politics. Our military leaders swear an oath to the Constitution, not a particular person. Actions like those being suggested today will create the perception in the military that disagreeing with political leaders is hazardous to one’s career.
Additional Reading:
Caldera, L., Casey, G., O’Keefe, S., Abbot, S., & Allen, T. (2025, February 14). Punishing military officers for political reasons endangers our troops and threatens national security. Military.com. Link.
Category: Editorial, Op-Ed, Veterans in the news
Later.
If your difference of opinion is treason than you don’t deserve to serve and I don’t want you serving.
Benedict Arnold’s giving up West Point to the British in exchange for a general’s commission and a stack of money wasn’t because he was a traitor to the American cause. He was just expressing a difference of opinion with his close friend and mentor General Washington.
I mean.. the CG Commandant wasn’t doing a good job. She got canned. What’s so hard to comprehend about that? You’re not entitled to keep your job just because you’re already there. You failed to meet expectations, you were sent packing. See ya.
Milley? POS. That’s all there is to say for that Christmas ham in a uniform.
Even DaNang Dick said she sucked as a leader and needed to be fired back 2023.
I think I have finally figured out why Biteme wouldn’t fire anyone. It was because he was a constant and consistent fuk up and kept moving up to positions of greater power and responsibility. Therefore he could have people around him who were not so sharp and screw ups as well.
Hey, they make maternity OCPs:
I used to work on an Air Force base. One building in particular seemed to be a gathering place for pregnant AF women (those were the days when only women got pregnant) in their official Class A maternity uniforms. Looked like a herd of penguins waddling about.
Sheesh, general milley, WHY are you wearing ACUs? when everyone else are in their suits? Almost look like someone slept in them… Even Pres. Trump looks in shape (not milley)
Pledging to give China a “heads up” call is not a “difference of opinion”. It is blatant insubordination and treason.
“The U.S. military’s strength depends on its ability to remain above the fray of politics. Our military leaders swear an oath to the Constitution, not a particular person.”
Absolutely true. BUT… when your “political disagreement” overrides your oath to the Constitution, you resign and publicly state your reasons for doing so. You do not get to undermine the authority of the Commander in Chief, regardless of their political affiliation. General officers and service chiefs do not get to do what would be a court-martial offense for any other service member.
“Actions like those being suggested today will create the perception in the military that disagreeing with political leaders is hazardous to one’s career”.
Publicly disagreeing for political reasons and committing treasonous acts should absolutely be hazardous to one’s career, as well as one’s freedom.
Its YUGE difference between a difference of opinion, and informing a possible foe. Those actions could have cost American lives not the Milley cared. His withdrawal of Afghanistan proved he didn’t give a fuck. FDR and Truman had a plenty of differences with MacArthur, but the didn’t tell Tojo or Kim what-was-up. I’m not a lawyer or expect on the UCMJ, but Milley’s actions certainly earn him a spot in the Hall of Shame.
MacArthur started believing his own press releases and forgot who he worked for. Truman gave him a very serious reminder of how the chain of command worked.
Biden should have axed him the minute he got into office for just that reason. Who could trust him? He didn’t, because Milley was a darling of the left for his “principled” stand against Trump.
I think it started a bit earlier, when mommy kept giving him daily reminders that he was a wonderful, brilliant little cadet. And I’m sure there were a lot of folks sucking up to him because of his father’s position and fame. The press releases later just reminded him of what he already knew.
“The military must be apolitical” says the single most political general of all time.
For all the Democrats’ screeching about a “coup”, Milley is hopefully as close as we ever see one come. He told his Chiefs of Staff not to take orders from the President unless he was involved. Ignore the treasonous stuff with China, he directly tried to take civilian control of the US military away. That’s step 1 in the book of how to execute a military coup.
Thankfully no orders were given by POTUS that those CoS would have to decide if they should follow their CINC or the CJCS, but that he felt bold enough to even make such calls and give such orders is shocking.
For him, apolitical meant “whatever ‘woke’ leftist sh*t Democrats like” in order to blow sunshine up their shorts.
“Publicly disagreeing for political reasons and committing treasonous acts should absolutely be hazardous to one’s career, as well as one’s freedom.”
When does disagreement become political or treasonous? When testifying before Congress, for example, is it political or treasonous or insubordinate to disagree with the official policy rather than support it?
I should have used that line on Top 37 years ago ” But Top you are not acknowledging my difference of opinion” I bet I would still be picking up cigarette butts.
And pulling a size 11 out of your ass.
Mattis did not like Trumps policies and he did the proper thing and resigned. Every officer that signed that pieces of toilet paper should be investigated and gone after.
Anybody in the military who won’t honestly tell authority the baby’s ugly has no place in the military. Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full belongs in a children’s book. Anybody in authority who won’t listen when a deck hand tells the bridge, “No sir, the rats aren’t answering swim call, the ship is sinking” has no place in the military.
I’m not talking about barracks lawyers and constant complainers. I’m talking about serious people noticing serious situations.
There is a world of difference between a different opinion and an unlawful order…
I checked my copy of the Constitution and didn’t find any reference where a Flag Officer was allowed to keep their job when they were incompetent…or did acts of treason. Did I miss something?
You must have an older copy.
Dems are going by the 2009 version (i.e. what is a law???)
They’re not using the 2025 version, the one where Biden inserted the Equal Rights Amendment?
Was more referring to the the dems disregard for the law that started with Barry.
Biden trying to will the ERA into the Constitution with an EO, and without proper ratification from the states, is the latest example of this.
I think that was a typo in the headline. It should have read ” Actions BY Mark Miley ‘negatively inpact’national security…
1st, agree with pretty much everything above.
2nd, Fuck everyplace one of the signers of this pile of bullshit. They had the opportunity ity to speak out against actual threats for the last 4 years ( and many also had the chance during I years of zero), and they said nothing. Therefore, their opinions are obviously biased and bullshit, and their support of a traitor like Miley definitely deserves closer scrutiny to determine what sort of ‘ negative impact’ their viwlews and actions may have on national security.
Time to clean house!
It’s the top heavy club of boyz with stars on their shoulders circling the wagons around one of their own.
Milley pulled a MacArthur…but he wasn’t as good.
MacArthur was a GOAT.
I would choose a different animal.
GOAT= Greatest Of All Time (at least for his time)
Everbody knows you never go full retard, Milley. You went full retard.
Mmmyeah, and look at the number of Generals fired by B. Hussein 0bama during his time in Office, but since he’s a D-rat, the media stayed silent.
General Stanley McChrystal was unavailable for comment.
Damn, now’s time for his “Team America” stuff:
FUCK YEAH!!!
Milley committed Treason, no ifs, no buts, or anything else, Treason. He should get the ultimate penalty for it. And those pieces of shit that wrote this letter should be held accountable also.
I lost a lot of faith in Hegseth when he stated he had full confidence in the current Chief of Staff of the JCS. That individual should have been fired on Day 1. And the cowardice (embracing DEI and other Woke bullshit) of every other Flag Officer and E-9 still serving, should merit their immediate firings, too. Not a single damn one of them stood up for the security of this nation, instead their damn careers were more important. Every damn one of them should be fired as an example to other service members, present and future.
Here’s my issue with a treason charge:
Is China an enemy of the USA? We are not engaged in armed conflict with China, we have open diplomatic relations with China, we have a very generous trade agreement with China, etc. Maybe you could argue that Chinese forces taking part in the Korean War, which was never actually resolved (thus the DMZ) would mean China is legally our enemy.
North Korea or Iran would be a much easier case, same with Al Qaeda or ISIS.
Now, if Congress wanted to make this fly, they could publish a list of enemies or codify it in law.
Interesting point.
Chicoms are itchin’ to be:
What Miley told the Chinese was that if they became an enemy, and we were planning on attacking them, he would call them and let them know. So he was fully planning on committing treason, he just didn’t get his chance.
To expound on that, If I made up plans to rob a bank with my friends and we went and purchased guns and things to break the alarm system we could all be arrested for conspiracy to commit armed robbery. So treason isn’t as far fetched as you might think.
Lars, is that you?
On the other hand, if he remained silent while the US planned and carried out an unprovoked attack on China he would have been guilty of a war crime, as a few Germans found out a few years ago.
That did not happen, his calling China did. He called his drug dealer and forwarned them that he would tip them off if the cops came calling,
Omega dude,
Are you a fuckin communist?
This is no time to be fair, it is the time to thrust the sword till the hilt!!!
In the military, unless you outrank the CINC your opinion doesn’t matter.
Exactly!
As I recall, once an order is given. you don’t get to have an opinion.
Yes, you do; but it is difficult.
Option 1: Should you think, feel, or know the order is not legal; you disobey it. However, at that instant you prepare yourself for court-martial. If the order is illegal; you did right. If the order is legal; pack your bags for the disciplinary barracks.
Option 2: Should you think, feel, or know the order is not legal; you ask for clarification. The orderer may have not thought the order through; or the orederee may have not understood the order.
Baring those two examples, no, you do not have an opinion.
There are no doubt a few other examples–life ain’t all black and white, lots of grays.
Eh, yeah that’s true. I was talking, though, in general outside of certain situations where you better have an opinion.
“sending a message to the ranks that the Trump administration will not tolerate differences in opinion.”
Um, yeah. When I was still in, if my Chief told me to do something and I didn’t do it or did something else and then said I knew better than him, he would kick my a$$ all the way from the east coast to the west.
That rule still applies to the civie part of the Chain of Command too.
So, when the Dems were in power we couldn’t talk politics, and if you say anything against Obama, I mean, the Dems, you get punished and kicked out.
But now that the Republitards are in power, we have to tolerate difference of opinion, from the same people that a month ago would have shitcanned us without a second thought.
EAT A BAG OF FUCKIN DICKS!!!!!!11111
Kind of sucks when “lost faith and confidence in the ability of” takes out one your own doesn’t it?
“…these actions run the risk of sending a message to all uniformed leaders as well as rank-and-file military service members that this administration will not tolerate differences of opinion.”
Any of you rank-and-file folks ever felt intimidated by someone criticizing a general?