A group of former secretaries of the military departments and retired four-star uniformed officers wrote a letter to the editors of The Washington Post expressing their "deep alarm" for the decision by President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief of naval operations, and the top military lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force without due cause.
The former top military personnel said these actions "jeopardize the strength, stability and integrity of our armed forces."
They reiterated that "these firings risk politicizing the military. They send a chilling message that will discourage senior officers from providing the candid military advice necessary for sound strategic decisions."
The group emphasized that "for 236 years, the U.S. military has upheld the principle of civilian control — a cornerstone of our democracy and an essential guarantee of sound national security decision-making."
They pointed out that "civilian control means military leaders are mindful that it is the president and his appointed civilian defense leaders who set policy, which the military executes by implementing the president’s lawful orders."
However, the group stressed that "this principle does not compel military leaders to demonstrate partisan loyalty to the president or to execute unlawful orders. Their oath is to support and defend the Constitution, not of loyalty to any individual."
The former leaders of the armed forces insisted that "our military's effectiveness depends on stable, nonpartisan leadership dedicated singularly to defending the nation. Changes in military leadership should be guided solely by national security needs, not political motivations."
The former leaders of the armed forces explained that "healthy civil-military relations require mutual trust and respect so civilian leaders will seek out the 'the best military advice' of the nation's nonpartisan career military leaders, who will in turn be unafraid to provide that counsel."
They insisted that "civilian control and healthy civil-military relations are what make America's system for providing for the nation’s security both unique and effective. They are designed to ensure that our armed forces serve as effective instruments of American foreign policy rather than as a tool for domestic political ends."
The group underscored that "firing officers for implementing the policies of previous civilian leaders undermines these principles, creating an untenable environment where military leaders risk retribution for following lawful orders at the time those orders were given. If the defense secretary seeks change, he should adjust policy, not purge personnel."
They added that "abruptly removing general and flag officers without adequate justification disrupts the chain of command, weakens morale and exacerbates challenges in an already turbulent global security environment. Open and honest communication between civilian and military leaders is vital to effective defense policy."
The group writing the letter included Steve Abbot, a retired Navy admiral who was deputy homeland security adviser; Thad Allen, a retired Coast Guard admiral who was the 23rd commandant of the Coast Guard; Louis Caldera, the 17th secretary of the Army; George Casey, a retired Army general who was the 36th chief of staff of the Army; Debbie Lee James, the 23rd secretary of the Air Force; and Sean O'Keefe, who was the 69th secretary of the Navy.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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