“You are not going to change my mind.” That was a comment by my cousin, a tenth dan martial arts legend and ardent Trump supporter during a recent phone call. A former Marine, the Corps is a large part of his personal identity. Given Trump’s recent disposition toward senior Marine generals (think Mattis & Kelly), support for both the USMC and Trump raises the epitome of cognitive dissonance. He is far from alone. Each Wednesday a group of us retired Special Forces (SF) veterans meet for breakfast at the 50’s Diner here in Las Vegas. Here too Trump support is amazingly strong. The perception among many former armed forces personnel is that Trump supports the military and facts cannot not get in the way of their preconceived notion. For them perception is reality. Unfortunately, it is an alternate reality and one with significant negative consequences.
The incongruence between what Trump says publicly and his actions is extraordinary. Unreliable at best, consider his behavior in the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria. Without consulting either American senior defense leadership responsible for the area, or our European allies that also have troops on the ground, Trump made the precipitous announcement. Even worse, he signaled to President Erdogan that Turkish forces were unencumbered to strike the Kurdish population in the area. That, even though the Kurds had been long-term allies and had suffered thousands of casualties fighting against ISIS. Some, but not all of the Special Operations Forces who had worked with the Kurds were appalled by the decision. Possibly more shocking was when Trump then took credit for brokering a cease-fire to the situation he helped create.
In October in response to the incursion on the Kurds, dozens of general and admirals signed an open letter to Trump stating, “…today to call on you to embrace the values of the men and women who serve you in our armed forces. We knowingly break the culture of public silence expected of retired Generals and Admirals to urge you to exert national and global leadership to stem and reverse the rapidly receding tides of American moral authority.” They went on to state, “When we are forced to turn our backs on our own loyalty, commitment, integrity, honor and trust, our challenges become far more daunting. Allies and partners who have served, bled and died by our side will turn their backs on us.”
Such poor judgement is not new for Trump. A known narcissist, several years ago Trump stated, “I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me.” A faulty personality trait, he has made similar comments about knowing more that experts on a variety of topics. Repeatedly he has taken credit for the “defeat of ISIS,” even though as a concept, ISIS is far from defeated.
Trump’s impetuous actions regarding Iran have also brought wide condemnation from an amazing array of former diplomats and military officers. Of those speaking out was Admiral Eric Olson (U.S. Navy Retired) a former SEAL and eighth Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Also signing that unprecedented letter were more that fifty former senior officials starting with Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State (hardly a liberal), thirteen other ambassadors, and more than a dozen senior flag grade officers.
Across the board the issue of cognitive dissonance is largely ignored by veterans. It shouldn’t be. It should be difficult, if not impossible, for us to support the behavior that we have observed. North Korea and Trump’s relationship to Kim Jong Un is classic. For decades, Kim, and his father and grandfather before him, sought acknowledgement on the world stage. All past U.S. Presidents have resisted and worked to gain benefits before bestowing prestige. Not Trump, while gaining nothing in return, he elevated Kim to an equal on that world stage.
For his efforts, Trump acquired photo ops but nothing of substance, especially regarding denuclearization. Kim has continued his advanced weapons development. The tests by North Korea continue unabated while the U.S. unilaterally pulled back from the military exercises that are critical to insure operational compatibility. When these negotiations first occurred, I asked one of my SF mates, “What did we get?” He naively and emphatically answered, “Peace.” We are far from it. Under any previous U.S. President, could anyone imagine a brazen scenario in which it was North Korea that was establishing the terms under which negotiations could continue? Yet, that is what is happening right now and all because of what Trump gave away for almost nothing in return.
Critically important in that area of the world is a unified approach to dealing with North Korea as a nuclear power. Earlier we saw Trump blindside both South Korea and the U.S. Department of Defense, by announcing the end to military exercises. He has continued to negotiate without consultation with the president of South Korea. Similarly, neighboring Japan has been left out despite their vital interests being involved. To make matters worse Trump dispatched Mark Esper, the Secretary of Defense, to inform both countries that he was increasing the cost of American participation in Asian security. Despite having signed a new cost sharing agreement earlier this year, Trump announced that the cost for South Korea would rise over 400 percent to about five billion dollars. That is an interesting number as the one billion they agreed to was to cover 40 percent of troop costs-suggesting the U.S. is now in the mercenary business.
Peddling “America First,” it is clear that Trump has no rational concept of national security. His response was, and has been, “I’ll bomb the shit out of them.” Clueless about the advantages of alliances, he has worked to undermine the steadfast ones that have held for decades. His interactions with NATO are legendary and have caused European allies to reconsider their participation and think about alternative defense mechanisms.
There was a time when America’s word and commitment meant something. That is no longer true. Of course, Trump’s actions have now dramatically reduced our credibility. He likes to say he is “unpredictable.” That is certainly true, but unpredictable translates to unreliable and from a military perspective that is disastrous. Given the abrupt pull-out of the Iran Nuclear deal, Paris Climate Change Accords, Trans Pacific Partnership and threats to other U.S. obligations, Trump has single-handedly destroyed our credibility for long-term commitments.
For veterans, worth noting are the unprecedented comments that have been made by several of our former senior leaders. That is especially true for the SOF community. Admiral William McRaven, another former USSOCOM Commander, stated in a New York Times op-ed, “….that the United States is clearly under attack by our own president.” In December, 2018, headlines from NBC News read, “Retired four-star Gen. Stanley McChrystal says Trump is dishonest, immoral.” He went on to say, “he wouldn't work for Trump because ‘I think it's important for me to work for people who I think are basically honest.’" While McChrystal did run afoul of President Obama, he never made such comments about him and has even discussed the importance of the military being apolitical.
Those ambassadors and flag grade officers who are speaking out are right. In our extensive travels abroad, we have seen firsthand the damage that has been done to American trustworthiness. The effects will last for decades. While admitted spotty at times, American forces have always relied on the strength, endurance and credibility of America to gain support from foreign sources. For most special operations forces, by, with and through, has been a motto meaning loyalty was the essence of cooperative efforts. Those efforts reduced the American footprint and the exposure of our troops to harm. Trump has taken away that essential tool.
Even the reputation of the venerable United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, NY has been brought into question. There, cadets have a very strict honor code. Violation of the code quickly will lead to dismissal. The Class of 1986 has caused them to come under scrutiny, a situation that will not soon dissipate. The code dictates that reverence is for life. Mike Pompeo, the current Secretary of State, and honor graduate of that class, has brought shame to the country and USMA. Any cadet knows that quibbling (i.e. obfuscating the facts) is considered lying under the code. Pompeo was caught quibbling/lying to the public. Specifically, when asked about the infamous call to Ukraine he responded that he had not read the transcript. That was certainly quibbling as he had been a party listening to the call. A great indignity is how many otherwise honorable people Trump has led down that path just to serve his own needs.
Still developing is a critical issue raised by, Richard Spencer the terminated Secretary of Navy. In his letter to the President he noted, “I cannot in good conscience obey an order that I believe violates the sacred oath I took….” Think about that. Finally, someone putting principles above personal interest. At issue was my final topic. However, while this plays out in a relative peaceful setting, what would happen if Trump issued an order with more serious life and death consequences? His record of Executive Orders that later have been held to be illegal in court should be of concern to all. How many officials are prepared to fall on the swords? That is a most serious consideration given Trumps impetuous behaviors (think Syria).
While the list of provocation could go on, I will raise one final issue; that of command influence and total disregard for the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The UCMJ is the rule of law under which the Department of Defense conducts its activities. It was designed to bring order and discipline within the ranks and was designed with checks and balances. All commissioned officers are warned against intervention in the process as it can be considered banned command influence. Now we have seen the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces conduct the ultimate act by intervening in the results of several courts martial. The impact is to cast doubt on the entire system of good order and discipline for the entire Department of Defense.
Remember, Cadet Bone Spurs had the opportunity to find out what combat was like. He declined and allowed five others to take his place in Vietnam. War is ugly and bad things can happen. But we have been proponents of the Law of Land Warfare as it sets limits as to what can and cannot be done. The UCMJ was the process by which personnel could be held accountable. What Trump did was to signal two things that will be hard to reverse. One was to signal to U.S. forces that they can do what they want without regard for the UCMJ. The second is to inform the world that we may choose not to abide by our owns rules. The probable result will be to encourage others to disregard the rules as well. That does not bode well for Americans who may be captured.
My acknowledged opinion is that Trump uses the military as political props when it suits him (think of the parade he wanted). On Veterans Day he made the comments about himself. The public repeatedly has shown that the Department of Defense has higher credibility and support than any other branch of government. Yet, like his other moves to denigrate public institutions (think Justice, Intelligence Community, media) Trump has overtly sought to undermine their credibility and effectiveness. He has now expanded that effort and is trying to turn the military against itself. Unfortunately, it may work unless our active and retired personnel come to understand what is happening. As many have indicated, Trump lies at an unprecedented rate. Too many people, including past and present military members believe his specious claims. The traditional values of the military (honor, integrity, courage, honesty and self-sacrifice) are in direct conflict with those of the President. Facts must win and the tide must turn if this democracy is to endure.