"I know more about ISIS than the generals do." Donald Trump, November 2015.
Good luck, General. You're going to need it.
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"I know more about ISIS than the generals do." Donald Trump, November 2015.
Good luck, General. You are going to need it.
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This picture is really, really scary. Every dictatorship past and present is supported and maintained by the military. It may not be too late for America to ask...where are our generals?
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I cannot get over soldiers willingly giving up on better schools on their bases for their children. Some of their schools must be in such disrepair (as is their housing) that congress allotted them money to fix it.
Wearing Trump shirts worth their children's education?
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The military let Trump illegally divert billions away from bases, including strategically important ones, missile defense, and cyber ops. It also left some bases and their schools with substandard outdated buildings that are dangerous. When you care more about massaging the current president's ego instead of taking care of national security and the troops, your priorities are wrong. Every time Trump gets away with something, he tries 10 more similar things.
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Lakaitel pompeo will get along wonderfully with lakaitel milley, both servicing the "most stable genius"; we are going back to the good old armed farces!
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At the welcoming ceremony for CJCS General Milley, Trump gestured the wrong way when acknowledging Defense Secretary Esper. This made it appear that Trump was oblivious to the fact that Esper had been sitting directly beside him for more than a half hour.
A couple of minutes later Trump declared that Isis had been totally and completely defeated. Secretary Esper appeared displeased upon hearing this, and rather than looking in Trump's or the camera's direction he looked down at his feet.
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This was a stirring article. From everything written, General Milley is a combat tested patriot, a hero, who respects "Duty, Honor, Country" in the tradition of Douglas MacArthur. He will do the right thing, when called upon. He will not betray his principles for any of Trump's whims.
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The view (common with despots) that the resources of the government are tools serving the personal interests of the head of state will be Milley's greatest challenge.
Trump has repeatedly demonstrated that his feelings of entitlement to the assets of the military to advance narrow personal and political agendas.
Had any other president acted in such a manner, Congress and the public would have erupted in rage. Sadly, we are instead saddled with a GOP too busy licking Trump's boots to do any oversight and a Democratic party too timid to stand up for the rule of law in a forceful and declarative way.
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Good luck Milley in keeping your integrity intact. We will be watching.
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In the lead photo, Milley looks as if
he's just realized who he'll be working under.
The hands appearing to clutch his stomach
are the guy's next to him, but it sure looks like
he's about to be ill.
I wish you the best of luck, Gen. Milley.
Someone has got to steer the ship of state,
because it's currently going in circles.
Perhaps you can delicately suggest to Trump
that he put both oars in the water.
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A Princeton and Columbia grad who reads Thomas Aquinas and is a student of the history of warfare in general and US Military history specifically, with a winning personality and almost forty years of experience in the military.
Who has to work for and with someone who never reads, has no understanding of military history except for watching 'Patton' and 'MacArthur' movies from the seventies, believes he's 'the Chosen One' and has a sketchy track record with military types (Mattis, Kelly and McMaster) over the past couple of years.......what could possibly go wrong??
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Isn't this incontestable? When Trump is impeached, and/or when Trump loses the 2020 election, his wicked supporters will call on our military to use force to keep him in power. As Trump does not understand morality, so his supporters do not.
How we must pray that General Milley fully understands how urgently we need him to keep faith with us and deny Trump any opportunity to ruin our democratic experiment.
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The picture says a thousand words. Good luck with that sir!
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Provided the general keeps our, not Trump's, military out of politics, prevents Trump from using our military as stage props, and provides good advice to Trump rather than shaking his head like a bobble-head doll General Milley may prove himself to be a capable chief.
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"Quick, Milley! We need a diversion! A splendid little war!"
These military leaders have been trained from day 1 to obey and serve the command chain, particularly the CINC, no matter how it may tar them with association with someone like Trump. This makes it easy to just get along, under the heading of command and control, rather than do what is right.
The key question is; will Milley have the perspective and courage to say no to an illegal order? To a Presidential order done out of pique or insanity, rather than for considered, legal purpose?
Here's to hoping he can.
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Don’t know anything about serious or insightful about this soldier after reading this PR piece than before. Perhaps that’s the way it’s supposed to be in the military. Maybe being Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is like being the Queen of England. Show up at all the big ceremonies, look sharp and say nothing truly important or relevant.
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Good luck sir, you are going to need it.
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General Milley has achieved a great deal in his life. Not the least of which is leading the entire armed forces as a non-West Pointer. I had not known about his father's service until I read this article. I think the General's father was correct in his critical view of our armed forces. And yet the selflessness of both father and son in service of our nation is something to be admired if not revered. If General Mark Milley ever ran for President he would likely get my vote.
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Here's my prediction: when Trump insists on declaring war on Iran, Milley explains why that is not a good use of the military. He convinces Trump to launch missiles instead and keep the soldiers away from the conflict. When Iran burns the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Trump insists on boots on the ground throughout the Middle East. Milley relents and the U.S. engages in the most destructive war in U.S. history and will make the conflict in Afghanistan pale in comparison in terms of length. Iranian allied terrorists make regular suicide bombings within the United States part of their war plan. Americans never feel safe again.
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You've got a vivid imagination!
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I'm sure I'm only a plaintive voice in the wilderness, but I've always believed that the Framers should have stipulated that a President must be a military veteran with at least two years active service. With a world now so complex, instantaneously electronic, and nuclear, a solid military background, obviously coupled with higher education, is essential for processing the myriad of information set before the CIC at each morning's briefing. As a non-collegial vet, I was told, recently, by one who should know, that Yale is for business, Harvard is for Law, and Princeton is for Socializing -- if remotely true then Trump has picked the right man for the job, as he is in constant need of a master schmoozler. I do not discredit the general's service record in any way, but his talents will require skill as a man for all seasons when dealing with the mercurial Donald.
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@capnbilly While an admirable sentiment, it is a plan that could only work with a national military service requirement.
While the military is full of honorable patriots, there are a disturbing number of people drawn from the fringes of society to meet enlistment quotas resulting in a distorted demographic in contrast to the nation as a whole.
It would have served the nation better that Trump had been investigated for draft evasion and convicted and sentenced to a term equal to that of Muhammad Ali:Himself a true patriot and man of real principle.
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@capnbilly First, our founding fathers were greatly suspicious of standing armies and anathema to democracy, and rightly so. With the exception of George Washington, I suspect they were suspicious of military men. Second, two of our greatest presidents never served on "active duty" in the modern sense: Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Although Lincoln served briefly for three months as a militia company commander during the Black Hawk War he never saw combat. Lincoln and Roosevelt brought us through two of America's most perilous periods, respectively the American Civil War and the Great Depression and Second World War, without benefit of extended active duty military service.
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@capnbilly
I believe that all presidents should come from an engineering background, like me.
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Such a chilling photograph.
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@MDPons
The of Trump pretending to Patriotism? Agreed. Or do you mean the one of Trumpublican functionaries swarming the general? Also fairly awful.
@MDPons If you mean the Arlington Cemetery photograph, most of the decedents buried there died in their beds. However, it is a fitting honor for those who served in the Armed Services.
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Just a comment ... I have seen a number of reports use the adjective "mercurial" to describe Trump. This is a highly generous and overly positive way to describe him, and just helps to continue to obscure his dangerous emotional, intellectual, and personality defects.
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I had the opportunity to hear GEN Milley give a talk last year. He's an impressive officer with a long career spent leading troops rather than shuffling papers in some headquarters far from the action. I wish him the best of luck in his new assignment.
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Trump’s military men. A revolving door.
How long will it take for General Milley to be on his merry or not so merry way?
Why would anyone with a military career want to even be associated with Donald Trump? Savior, protector? Whatever, it’s bound to be only temporary.
The military of the United States has never before looked so helpless. What does that say about our military? What does that say about Trump? What does that say about any of us?
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Admiral Mullen's advice of having a framework of values and principles which shouldn't be compromised is spot on. Trump corrupts or attempts to corrupt all within his orbit. With General Milley the consequences of bending to the President's unethical or illegal demands could have long term damage to US national security.
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Anyone with a real backbone, patriotism, and a moral compass should stay away from working for this andministration, even less make an assertive effort to 'win' it. Sold his soul to the Devil here.
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Jean, I vigorously disagree.
I am as liberal as they come.
If the current President were to nominate me for a job, I would accept.
Why?
So that I can limit any damage he may attempt as much as possible, and still remain within my remit to serve the U.S. government.
If all good people said no to Trump, only the worst would work there.
Imagine what a bunch of immoral, shiftless, selfish individuals could do to further wreck this country.
You already have a glimpse of it.
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@Jean louis LONNE
I beg to disagree. It is extremely important to have man or woman with a real backbone, patriotism, and a moral compass to save this democracy and to keep an eye for this President.
4
Just what we need! Another key Trump subordinate who keeps his nose you know where. He and Pompeo can compete.
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Everyone who enters Trump’s orbit has their reputation destroyed, regardless of how highly esteemed they are, or were. I hope the General understands that, I can’t imagine he’s been sleeping for the last three years. Although I wish I had been.
57
Bluntness and Banter is a perfect attribute to be a Trump adviser.
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I have to say that, with the exception of General Mattis, I have been distinctly unimpressed by the various general staff military men selected by Trump for various positions.
Is it Trump or has the US military academy system - never really known as centers of academic excellence - fallen even further behind in inculcating adherence to the motto "Duty, Honor Country" they essentially espouse.
Let's see if Ivy Leaguer Milley does any better.
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@Randy
The Service Academies are some of the toughest schools to get into (<10%) and some of the most difficult to graduate from - their graduates do graduate studies including PhD's at the best colleges in the world and it is not unusual for one or two of the 32 US Rhodes Scholars to be a military academy grad
So - no.
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@SteveRR Have to push back a bit. At a time when Marines were being sent into harm's way in Afghanistan without body armor because, according to Rumsfeld, we had to "go to war with the army you have," US taxpayers were paying for McMasters to get a PhD and write a book. Washington, Pershing, Patton, Nimitz, Marshall, Eisenhower...none had advanced degrees and they got better results.
Also, I recently attended a recruiting event for the service academies, and the recruiters (all Navy Captains and AF/Army Colonels) were more interested in football players than high students taking AP Physics and Calculus classes.
3
I've learned to be wary of men who wear epaulets, chevrons and echelons and clap at the bad parts of a president's speech (which I saw him do during a Trump speech). Need to stand up to Trump much more.
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This is a career destroyer for the General.
I hope he has the deep values and courage for this job under 45. If he does, he won’t last. If he doesn’t, he will be complicit in the further destruction of the US constitution and America.
Good luck general. You are going to need it.
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