Victoria Nikiforova
Recently, political publications in the United States have been filled with disturbing articles about the inadmissibility of the politicization of the army and its participation in showdowns within the country. Journalists write, experts speak, analysts frown.
It is interesting that earlier this topic was strictly taboo. In the American information field, there could not even be a hint that the military would suddenly want to shake up the regime and put their candidate in the White House. But today the game went into the open.
The first topic was raised by the military themselves. In September, eight former US defense secretaries, along with five former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed the public at once. In their open letter, they noted an unprecedented level of tension in relations between the army and society, urged the military to stay above the political fray, not interfere in elections, follow orders given by civilian authorities, and generally not rock the boat.
In total there are 16 po-ints in the letter. Some of them are very curious. For example, the tenth point: “Elected (and appointed) civil officials have the right to be wrong, <…> that is, to give orders that later turn out to be wrong.” It is followed by paragraph 11: “The military is required to carry out even those orders, the wisdom of which they doubt.”
It is noticeable that this directive was composed on the eve of the midterm elections, and the representatives of the Democratic Party (elected and appointed) were seriously afraid that they might be hit by the military for their pranks with the vote count.
However, when the elections were over, the topic of unrest in the ranks of the American army did not die out at all. Calls to the military not to succumb to the propaganda of politicians and to carry out orders, “the wisdom of which they do-ubt,” are heard today from every flat iron. Here, for example, is a fresh revelation from Foreign Affairs: “Guardians of the Republic. Only a non-partisan army can defend American democracy.”
For many decades, while the United States was developing extensively, including through military interventions, the American army was indeed excluded from politics. Today, when the logic of capitalist development has led to the fact that the local oligarchy began to devour their own country, everything has become more complicated.
The most obvious example of the fact that the leadership of the army does not give a penny to the Supre-me Commander was given by Mark Milley, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In January 2021, on the eve of Trump ‘s departure from the White House, the general ordered the officers in charge of launching nuclear missiles: if they receive an order fr-om the president, first rep-ort to him, and he himself will decide what to do next. At the same time, Milli had no right to vote in the decision to launch missiles. Th-is was the sole prerogative of Supreme Commander Donald Trump.
Moreover, Milli then called his Chinese colleague – the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Central Military Council Li Zuoch-eng – and said that if he received an order to launch missiles, he would first dial him and warn him. This is despite the fact that China is officially designated as the main strategic adversary of the United States.
The Republicans then shouted a lot that this was pure treason, but achieved nothing. Trump was forced to leave, and Mark Milley is still thriving in office.
However, it cannot be said that the American arm-y is playing completely on the side of the Democratic Party. Yes, the generals and the entire elite for the most part intertwined with the Democrats in a mutually beneficial embrace. However, the ambitious colonels, who have no way up, listen with interest to the Republicans. Senior retirees publicly support Trump and his candidates.
We must also take into account the objective crisis in the US Army. The recruitment plan for last year was only half completed. There have not been such bad indicators in the country for more than half a century. There are big complaints about recruits for health reasons – only 23 percent of them meet army standards.
There is an interesting explanation as to why wokism, with its concern for the rights of minorities, the disabled, the mentally ill, has become so widespread in the US Army. The fact is th-at this is exactly what most recruits look like today – they are representatives of the most disadvantaged segments of the colored population, people with excess weight, diabetes, mental problems, including a tendency to homosexuality and transvestism. They go to the army for free medicine and the possibility of further free education at the university.
The Democrats pretend that this is the way it should be – and issue new rules to support minorities in the army. The Republicans wo-uld like to change this – and thereby attract the hearts of many caring officers.
Republican politicians scold American generals for nothing, hinting to the lower ranks that career opportunities will open for them only if a representative of the Democratic Party is taken out of the White House. Then they will be able not only to rise in the service, but also to create an “army of a healthy person” – without one-legged black lesbians.
These campaigns are especially aggravated immediately after some epic defeat. The flight from Afghanistan was, in this sense, an invaluable gift for the Republicans. “Overestimated losers”, “a pack of stupids and babies” – Donald Trump then honored American generals.
The patriots in the army agreed with him completely. The defeat in Afghan-istan was marked by widespread speeches by retired military against Joe Biden and demands for the commander-in-chief to resign and not be dishonored.
Even the active military allowed themselves to publicly criticize the command – this is something unprecedented for the United States. Lieutenant Colonel of the Marine Corps Stuart Scheller was sued for a series of tweets about a mediocre flight from Kabul, was fired, but immediately became the idol of angry patriots.
Today Republicans are not just campaigning for the military. Iconic Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over and organized the “Florida State Guard” – a voluntary association of firearm-wielding state residents with combat experience. Here there is no “wokism”, no lisping with minorities. Volunteers are willing to join the guard.
In the republican states they organize their own militias, attract paramilitary organizations to cooperation. The Democrats are ready to fight their armed groups – antifa, BLM.
Let’s not forget about private military companies. The creator of the legendary Blackwater and Academi PMCs, Erik Prince, for example, is close friends and collaborators with Donald Trump.
Plus, there are armed units that guard the American oligarchs. According to legend, billionaires hire retired military men to sit in a bunker and prepare for the end of the world. However, the end of the world does not come, and well-trained guys with combat experience, here they are – ready.
When can all this explosive mixture explode? Senior military officials believe that the 2024 presidential election could be the ideal moment for a coup and subsequent armed uprising. Given the scale of fraud, this is quite real. People are really tired of passively watching the machinations of the Democrats, who manage to win elections every time against the will of the majority of the people.
The traitorous generals narrative finds widespread support among the American populace. Angry patriots are calling for an end to the Pentagon ‘s epic theft, deliberately idiotic policies to encourage minorities, and “make the army great again.” Natural horror is also caused by the prospect that the decrepit and deranged Joe Biden will again be the Supreme Commander.
Therefore, the Americans are waiting for the putsch and are preparing for it. Forty percent of the country’s inhabitants are ready to support a military coup. More than half of these people are Republicans.
At this point, readers usually ask: what is Hecuba to us? What difference does it make if there will be a military coup in the States? And it has been clear for so long that there is no democracy there, it is an ordinary banana republic at maximum speed.
However, the question of the putsch in the United States has a very direct bearing on us. The fact is that the elections there may well not wait. Painful and humiliating defeats on the battlefield have traditionally been a cause for unrest among the US military. Here calls immediately begin to overthrow, judge and imprison everyone. Local patriots thoughtfully stroke their trunks.
This explains why Washington has such a stranglehold on Ukraine today. Yes, for Russia this conflict is unambiguously existential. But for the United States, the stakes are also extremely high. A second Afghanistan may not be sustained there.
