• dgmib@lemmy.world
    20·
    29 days ago

    More than anything else I’ve heard, this Trump action scares me the most.

    Military generals recognize the president as commander in chief. They’re generally going to follow the chain of command in situations where the US is attacking a strategic target, regardless of the ‘ethics’ of the situation.

    If Trump wants to level the Gaza Strip or the West Bank or even parts of the Ukraine. They’ll likely follow orders because there’s a strategic value in those targets militarily. They might not agree with the strategy, but they’re primarily loyal to the office of the president regardless of who’s sitting in it.

    But when generals would push back, is any scenario where following orders was a risk to the country with no strategic gain. Like attacking US citizens, using nuclear weapons, attacking strategic allies or starting World War III for no other reason than because Trump wanted to flex his ego.

    The scenarios where these roles needed to be replaced by a Trump loyalist willing to do anything are… nightmarish.

    • Tedesche@lemmy.worldEnglish
      12·
      29 days ago

      This is the move Trump needs to make if he wants to become a true dictator. You need the military protecting you from the populace if you’re going to consolidate absolute power. If he starts purging the military brass, that’s a confirmation that he’s planning to be president for life.