Trump and Pentagon disagree on deployment of active duty troops to control protests

 (June 8)Tensions are very high between the Pentagon and the White House over Trump's threat to use active military forces to control protests after George Floyd was killed by a policeman.

The tensions

Historically, there have often been tensions between the government and the Pentagon but during Trump's term this is the second time eh tensions have been so high as to raise the prospect of high-level resignations and lasting damage to the military's reputation.

Trump has recommended dominating the streets and the use of force to control demonstrations and has even suggested that not just the National Guard be used to quell protests but also active-duty service people. He has suggested invoking the Insurrection Act that would allow him to use active-duty troops which otherwise would be illegal. However, many critics see such a move as harming the reputation of the armed forces.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said to reporters: "I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act".

Trump seems to feel there is no limit on his authority to use unlimited power to dominate the streets during protests including the use of active US forces against US citizens rather than against foreign enemies. Critics see such use of active-duty troops against US citizens as justified only in extreme conditions such as an actual rebellion. Trump had requested Defense Secretary Esper to send 10,000 US troops to Washington DC to potentially be used to quell protests. Esper put pressure on several state governors to send National Guard members to Washington to head off any Trump attempt to demand that active-duty forces be used.

Other military officials critical of Trump's position

Vincent K. Brooks a recently retired four-star Army general claimed that Trump's threat to use federal troops for law enforcement in any states where he deemed a governor was not acting toughly enough towards protesters and wrote in an essay for Harvard University's Beifer Center where he is a fellow: “It is a trust that the military, especially the active-duty military — ‘the regulars’ — possessing great physical power and holding many levers that could end freedom in our society and could shut down our government, would never, never apply that power for domestic political purposes.”

Former Defense Minister Jim Matthis criticized Trump's use of force to clear peaceful demonstrators so that Trump could walk to a church for a photo op. Matthis said that he never dreamed troops “would be ordered under any circumstance to violate the Constitutional rights of their fellow citizens — much less to provide a bizarre photo op for the elected commander-in-chief, with military leadership standing alongside.” In a further statement published in the Atlantic Matthis went on criticizing the president: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people —does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.” Matthis called on Americans to unite without Trump.

Previously published in the Digital Journal