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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump push to politicize US military 'reminiscent of Stalin', top general warns
Trump push to politicize US military reminiscent of Stalin, top general warns
Maj Gen Paul Eaton says US presidents effort to bend military to his will could have dire long-term consequences
Ed Pilkington
Mon 5 Jan 2026 06.00 EST
Donald Trump and his defense secretary Pete Hegseth are mounting an aggressive push to politicise the top ranks of the US military a push that smacks of Stalinism and could take years to repair, the former infantry chief who trained troops to invade Iraq has warned.
Maj Gen Paul Eaton has sounded the alarm, saying in an interview with the Guardian that the effort to bend the higher echelons of the military to the US presidents will was unparalleled in recent history and could have long-term dire consequences. He warned that both the reputation and efficiency of the worlds most powerful fighting force was in the balance.
snip//
The Pentagon purge sent a clear and chilling message that reverberated throughout the military services, Eaton said. Toe the line, or we will fire you. Youre in a different world now. This is Trumps world, and by God, this is what were going to do.
The dismissals also sowed doubt throughout the ranks. Would senior officers kowtow to Trump and his defense secretary? Or would they stand up for following the military rules of engagement?
Eaton said the effect reminded him of Joseph Stalins 1940s purges of the top officers in Soviet forces. Stalin killed a lot of the best and brightest of the military leadership, and then inserted political commissars into the units. The doubt that swept the armed forces of the Soviet Union is reminiscent of today they are not killing these men and women, but they are removing them from positions of authority with similar impact.
The end result, Eaton said, was that youve got a 1940s Stalin problem inside the American military right now.
more...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/05/trump-us-military-hegseth-stalin
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Trump push to politicize US military 'reminiscent of Stalin', top general warns (Original Post)
babylonsister
Monday
OP
angryxyouth
(325 posts)1. Trump has a lot of Stalinist instincts
An example is blame your enemies for what you were doing. Ive mentioned this one before on various posts. Especially when it comes to rigging elections. Heres the link about a lawsuit relating to the. Anomalies in voting data in Pennsylvania. The same anomalies happen in all the swing states, along with all the rest of the counties in Pennsylvania..
Uncle Joe
(64,225 posts)2. Kicked and recommended
Thanks for the thread babylonsister