Trump’s frequent invocation of the military in times of crisis not only blurs the lines of traditional civil-military relations, but also pushes the boundaries of what is and isn’t an acceptable use of the troops on American soil, experts said.
“The president encouraging governors to be more aggressive against U.S. citizens and threatening to deploy the military to their states if they did not — those terms smack of using the military for coercive purposes,” said Alice Hunt Friend, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Sending troops to quell domestic protests sends the disturbing message that “the military is repressing American citizens,” added Risa Brooks, a professor of political science at Marquette University who specializes in the study of civil-military relations.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper seemed to echo the president’s aggressive rhetoric during a call with Trump and governors on Monday, urging officials to “dominate the battlespace.”
“The sooner that you mass and dominate the battlespace the sooner this dissipates and we can get back to the right normal,” he said, according to audio of the phone conversation that was leaked to the media.
“When his secretary of defense says that they have to ‘dominate the battlespace’ it means equating Americans to an enemy and waging war on your own citizens,“ said Ray Mabus, Navy secretary under former President Barack Obama.
Former insiders say Trump sees the military as a way to signal strength while playing on the public’s patriotism — and to tamp down opposition. In private, the president has said he believes in “the strong man approach” to handling dissent, said Guy Snodgrass, a former aide to Trump’s first defense secretary, Jim Mattis.
“For him the military is a stick. It’s also patriotic — it’s America, it’s mom and apple pie,” said Snodgrass. “When he senses danger or an opportunity, the military becomes the very first tool he wants to grab.”
But using the military for political means is not only destructive to public support for the institution, but it also undermines the whole system of civilian control of the military, according to experts.
“Americans already have begun to think of our military similarly to the Supreme Court — support it when decisions agree with our politics, oppose it when they contrast,” said Kori Schake, a fellow with the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “The president invoking military authority will further throw our military into the political fray.”
As recently as Saturday, Trump was talking to aides about assuming control of the National Guard or deploying the military to deal with protesters, according to two administration officials. As of earlier Monday, governors in 23 states and the District of Columbia had called up more than 17,000 Guardsmen to aid state and local law enforcement in responding to the civil unrest.
National security adviser Robert O’Brien seemed to throw cold water on the idea of federalizing the National Guard on Sunday, though he didn’t completely rule it out.
„We’re not going to federalize the Guard at this time. But, if necessary, we have further military assets that can be deployed … if the governors and the mayors need it and they can’t get control of the situation,” O’Brien said.
Those military assets may include active-duty troops, the president signaled Monday in the Rose Garden. After his address, he crossed Lafayette Square flanked by Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, who was wearing his Army camouflage.
Trump does not have to ask the governors’ permission to send in the active-duty troops. The Posse Comitatus Act bars the use of federal troops for domestic law enforcement. But by invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, a president could supersede Posse Comitatus to suppress an insurrection, even without the explicit consent of a state’s government.
For the time being, Trump is relying on more traditional means to quell the unrest. On Monday night he fully activated the D.C. National Guard, deploying 1,200 troops to the city’s streets. The president has also requested additional forces from other states, and 600 to 800 Guardsmen from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Utah are expected to arrive in the city tonight.
„As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property,“ Trump said. „I am your president of law and order.”
While Trump has not yet invoked the Insurrection Act, active-duty troops have been put on a „shortened alert status“ in the national capital region „to allow them to respond more quickly“ if necessary, according to a senior defense official. But they have not been deployed to the district, the official said.
In addition, the administration plans to set up a „central command center“ that will include Esper, Milley and Attorney General William Barr, in conjunction with state and local officials, White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany said.
McEnany made the comments after Trump was quoted as saying he would put Milley „in charge“ of the protest response in leaked audio from a phone call with governors, causing uproar.
“Suggesting that his senior military adviser would take over for civil authorities throughout the country is a defamation of our system of military subordination to civilians,” Schake said.
The developments come as the total number of National Guardsmen activated around the country crossed a historic threshold this week. As of Monday morning, 66,700 National Guard soldiers and airmen had been mobilized for domestic operations, a figure that surpasses the more than 51,000 who were activated during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina response, according to the Guard.
The number includes Guardsmen supporting the Covid-19 response and now helping local law enforcement deal with riots.
“We are here to protect life and property, and preserve peace, order and public safety,” said Gen. Joseph Lengyel, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
Gabby Orr contributed to this report.
Source: politico.com
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