by Ben Zion Gad
The retired veterans called on American leaders to conduct "war games" in order to prepare for an attempted coup.
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Jacob Anthony Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, of Arizona
speaks with a U.S. Capitol Police officer after supporters of President
Donald Trump occupied the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 6,
2021
(photo credit: MIKE THEILER/REUTERS)
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Three former US Army generals penned an op-ed in The Washington Post on Friday calling for the Pentagon to make preparations for another "insurrection" after the 2024 election.
Retired
Maj.-Gens. Paul D. Eaton, Antonio M. Taguba and retired Brig.-Gen.
Steven M. Anderson urged today's leaders to act to prevent scenes like
those that unfolded during the January 6th insurrection and called on
today's leaders to conduct "war games" in order to prepare for an
attempted coup.
Issues
stem from political differences, according to the generals, and most
troubling is that the military is split among the political divide as
well: Over 1 in 10 of those charged in the January 6th riots had a
military service record, and a group of 124 retired military officials,
under the name “Flag Officers 4 America,” released a letter echoing
Donald Trump’s attacks on the legitimacy of the 2020 US Presidential
election.
“The
potential for a total breakdown of the chain of command along partisan
lines — from the top of the chain to squad level — is significant should
another insurrection occur. The idea of rogue units organizing among
themselves to support the ‘rightful’ commander in chief cannot be
dismissed,” the letter argues.
A
supporter of US President Donald Trump waves Trump and Confederate
flags after making his way to the second floor of the US Capitol during
the insurrection on January 6. (credit: MIKE THEILER/REUTERS)“Imagine
competing commanders in chief — a newly reelected Biden giving orders,
versus Trump (or another Trumpian figure) issuing orders as the head of a
shadow government. Worse, imagine politicians at the state and federal
levels illegally installing a losing candidate as president,” the letter
continues.
Four
potential solutions were presented by the servicemembers: firstly, the
leaders of the January 6th attacks must be held accountable, such as
Senator Josh Hawley and the former president himself, Donald Trump.
Secondly, a thorough review for US Army service members on
constitutional and electoral integrity, as “No service member should say
they didn't understand whom to take orders from during a worst-case
scenario." The generals also said the army should remove “potential
mutineers” and that the Department of Defense should go as far as to
conduct a “war-game” style exercise to practice their potential response
and identify weak spots.
On
January 6, 2021, hundreds of people stormed the US Capitol complex to
stop lawmakers from certifying President Joe Biden's 2020 election win,
eventually breaching the complex and forcing congress members to be
locked down for their own safety. One person was killed during the riot
and several Republican politicians – most notably Donald Trump,
the former US President and opponent to election winner Joe Biden –
never conceded the election and have claimed it was illegitimate and
even “rigged.” So far, dozens of people have been subpoenaed, and
members say hundreds more have cooperated with the inquiry. Meanwhile,
more than 700 people have been arrested and charged with crimes
associated with the siege of Congress.
"The
military and lawmakers have been gifted hindsight to prevent another
insurrection from happening in 2024 — but they will succeed only if they
take decisive action now," the letter concludes.
Ben Zion Gad
Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/former-us-army-generals-urge-pentagon-to-prepare-for-potential-civil-war-689206
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