Mark Milley: Constitutional Hero Or Military Rogue?
Milley’s actions during the final months of Trump’s presidency confirmed that not only was he prepared to disobey the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, but also to instruct subordinates not to obey such orders unless he confirmed them.
ByTed Galen CarpenterPublished2 days ago
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, has received widespread praise for the sentiments he expressed at the farewell ceremony on September 29, marking his retirement. The dominant narrative quickly emerged that he had provided a vigorous defense of democracy, emphasized that the military would always revere the Constitution, and delivered an implicit rebuke to former President Donald Trump. Several passages in his speech support that conclusion, but Milley’s conduct as JCS chairman also should create some uneasiness.
He asserted that the Constitution should be the moral “North Star” for everyone who serves in the military. “We are unique among the world’s militaries. We don’t take an oath to a country. We don’t take an oath to a tribe. We don’t take an oath to a religion. We don’t take an oath to a king or a queen or to a tyrant or a dictator.” In an unsubtle swipe at Trump, Milley added: “And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don’t take an oath to an individual.” Instead, “we take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we’re willing to die to protect it”
Noble sentiments indeed, but as with most such statements, the devil is in the details.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/10/mark-milley-constitutional-hero-or-military-rogue/
