Pentagon Officers: We Quit if Trump Wins

[babylonsister]

12.16.15 8:00 PM ET
Pentagon Officers: We Quit if Trump Wins
The plans of the next president are personal to the officers of the Pentagon, who are threatening to quit if The Donald becomes commander-in-chief.


Republican presidential candidate and business mogul Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to build up the U.S. military if elected president.

But it is not clear he will have the experienced commanders within the ranks to do it.

In the halls of the Pentagon, there is a different plan afoot for the Trump presidency. Here, officers are privately contemplating what they would do should Trump become their commander-in-chief. And more often than not, they proclaim they will leave.

“By 2016 I will have my 20 years in and can get out of here,” one military official said, referring to the amount of time a service member needs to collect retirement pay.

Spend enough time with a service member, and the topic of Trump comes up, always unsolicited. It is far less political than it sounds. Trump’s attack plans for the so-called Islamic State widely known as ISIS—his call to ban Muslims from the United States, his suggestions that cutting off the flow of information through the Internet can protect the homeland—many said, are an affront to the values they vowed to die to defend.

Each one of them took an oath to defend the Constitution, which protects the freedom of speech and gives Congress, not just one person, the power send the nation to war. They also swear to “obey the orders of the president of the United States.”

In other words: The plans of the next president are personal to them.

more...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/16/pentagon-troops-it-s-us-or-trump.html?source=TDB&via=FB_Page

[morningfog]

1. No coup? That may be preferable to Trump.

[bahrbearian]

4. Hillary could lead it , she does have experience.

[FlatBaroque]

6. .

[ToxMarz]

8. President H. R. Clinton won't need a coup

[CTyankee]

12. I loved that movie "Seven Days in May." Or do I have that wrong?

anyway, it was about the coup that Burt Lancaster played a general got foiled by a good officer played by Kirk Douglas (IIRC). It was B &W. Great idea and plot...

[ornotna]

20. That's the one

Excellent movie, was on TCM not too long ago. Your memory has not failed you.

[malthaussen]

22. Read the book, myself.

That one and Night of Camp David are especially interesting, given the time they were written. My favorite part of the latter has to be when the senator and NSA head worry that the President is crazy because he jokes at the gridiron dinner that all phones in the U.S. should be tapped. Ah, the innocent 60's.

-- Mal

[CTyankee]

42. I read all of those 60's era genre books also. They were great fun...

some still are but I haven't been scouting them out recently...

[MohRokTah]

2. So how is Trump going to start his new Middle East war withouot an experienced military?

This should be publicized far and wide.

[IDemo]

3. He's got an ankle gun

He's got this.

[MynameisBlarney]

11. Indeed.

Plus, his massive combover can be used in a whip-like fashion, should ISIS prove to be unruly in teh donald's presence.

[SheilaT]

31. If the junior officers who'd then replace the ones who quit

decide to follow his orders, we'd go to war. Just without experienced commanders at the helm.

Keep in mind that Richard Nixon only had to accept the resignations of two men, Attorney General Elliot Richardson, and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to get down the line to Solicitor General Robert Bork to find a man to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox in the Saturday Night Massacre on October 20, 1973. For those of you too young to remember, or old enough but have forgotten just how things played out, here's a link to the Wiki article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Massacre

My point is it might well be possible for a President Trump to go off bombing any place he wants, killing all the supposed members and families of ISIS, rounding up Muslims by executive order, if we actually get a President Trump. Just look at his enthusiastic crowds, who would clearly become our version of the SS and the Brown Shirts, who would happily imprison or kill any and all suspected Muslims.

We can just hope that the Republicans really turn away from him and nominate someone else. Personally, I don't think Trump will actually get the nomination, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking.

[book_worm]

5. Trump: "Who cares!"

[underpants]

7. Don't worry "his people" can do the job

They're all pretty.

[PeoViejo]

9. Trump has his own 'Army' of thugs.

He doesn't need the military.

A similar group was called the SA.

[ProfessorGAC]

27. That Didn't Work Out Too Well

Night of the Long Knives. The military wouldn't sign on to Hitler unless he did something about the brownshirts.

So, it's really not a similar group, because the SA was never involved in one of Germany's invasions. That was the Wermacht and the Waffen SS.

[dumbcat]

10. A slight quibble

Each one of them took an oath to defend the Constitution, which protects the freedom of speech and gives Congress, not just one person, the power send the nation to war. They also swear to “obey the orders of the president of the United States.”

The Officer's oath does not contain the part highlighted. That is in the Enlisted oath. The Officer's oath does not require them to obey the orders of the President of the United States or the officers appointed above them. They are to use their own discretion as to the lawfulness of orders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Uniformed_Services_Oath_of_Office

[ChisolmTrailDem]

23. They dont' have to obey orders if they retire....

[dumbcat]

33. Nor if they don't

Actually, a commissioned officer's oath of office is binding and even if retired or having left active duty they can be recalled to active duty until age 65 in an emergency. (Unless they resign their commission, as I did.)

[randr]

13. There are many in the military salivating over the chance to rise in ranks

Remember there are plenty of people who would gladly waterboard others; we have already witnessed this.

[Betty Karlson]

14. You just raised every hair on my neck...

[randr]

15. I hope that hair stays at attention

Our lives on earth are in a very precarious position.
Madness is not an abnormality within the human experience; it is the norm.

[staggerleem]

30. Exactly what I was thinking.

What percentage of "Pentagon officers" are we talking about here? What ranks? Will Trump care if a couple dozen brigadier generals & bird colonels jump ship? Doubt it.

IF one could say something like "40% (or more) of Pentagon officers ranked General or above would quit if Trump were elected" THEN we have a story worth telling. As it stands, I'm underwhelmed.

[1939]

44. I place this with

The massive number of people who will "leave the US if 'X' is elected"

[Overseas]

16. K&R. Glad to hear it.

[Javaman]

17. the positive version of "13 days in May". nt

[Javaman]

18. then trump can fill the ranks with all his brown shirts. nt

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

19. Well, gee, thanks for having our backs, guys.

So, if Trump wins, you would rather be replaced with lunatics?

[NurseJackie]

21. That's a powerful statement. But in making their point and taking a stand ...

... would it cause more harm?

[malthaussen]

24. I've often thought the fascists would be surprised if they relied on the military

In the scenario where there are mass protesters and demonstrations, and the fascist government decides to use the Army to restore order, I wonder if it is such a certain thing that the troops will follow orders and open up on civilians. This is one reason, I think, that the police are being militarized. Perhaps there is the thought that they can be counted on to mow down their fellow citizens more than the Army can.

-- Mal

[Cyrano]

25. Kent State

Yeah, it was the national guard, but there are always those who will "follow orders."

[malthaussen]

29. Assuming that Kent State was "following orders"

From what I've read of the incident, it appears that the Guard troops were just pissed off and opened up on their own initiative. (Once one cuts through the bullshit, that is)

But even stipulating that there are sufficient enlisted to follow an order to fire on civilians, there is the question whether there are sufficient officers who would give the order. This tantrum from the Pentagon suggests not. Because, contrary to what Mrs Rice argued, the fact that the President ordered it does not make it a legal order.

And there is a difference between waterboarding "terrorist suspects" and shooting your own fellow citizens.

-- Mal

[stevenleser]

37. Not to mention, these days all who enlist and commission are given extensive training on how not to

follow illegal orders and exactly what constitutes a legal vs an illegal order.

There are always exceptions but as you surmised there would not be many that would obey an illegal order to hurt or kill American civilians.

[malthaussen]

38. The police, on the other hand...

... them I fear.

-- Mal

[stevenleser]

41. I do too. The military fear being court martialed and convicted for wrongdoing.

I am not sure police officers do. They seem to walk on just about anything.

[DFW]

26. I doubt they will ever have to draft those resignation letters n/t

[jalan48]

28. A reverse coup?

The generals quit and then Trump appoints the ones who support him. Interesting idea.

[Gothmog]

32. I understand the position of these Pentagon officials

Trump is a crazy person

[Kermitt Gribble]

34. I hope they feel the same about a Cruz presidency. n/t

[TwilightGardener]

35. Pffft. This won't happen.

This sounds like a totally made-up story, in fact. tRump would be a disaster, but most of the military is Republican, and would be inclined to support him.

[Renew Deal]

40. I agree

[RobinA]

36. Oh Puhleeeze

Pentagon officers suddenly sounding like ACLU members? Is torture a value they vowed to die to defend? Is lying us into a war with threats of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction a value they vowed to die to defend? What a crock.

[Renew Deal]

39. Did Fiorina put them up to it?

[ilTupe]

43. Who sounds intelligent on defense?

They are all faking it until they get there. Then they are befuddled.