Retired generals warn of ‘lethal chaos’ in US military after 2024 vote

In a scathing op-ed published in the Washington Post on Friday, retired US Army major general Paul D. Eaton, retired US Army major general Antonio M. Taguba and retired US brigadier general Steven M. Anderson called on the Pentagon to “war-game the next potential post-election insurrection or coup attempt to identify weak spots.”

Alleging that the US army ranks are brimming with potential mutineers, they demanded the Pentagon “identifies, isolates and removes” them from the force until it’s too late for purges, while pointing out to the “disturbing number of veterans and active-duty members of the military” who were involved in the January 6 events at the Capitol.

Assessing “the potential for a military breakdown” as “very real,” the generals wrote that they have been “increasingly concerned about the aftermath of the 2024 election and the potential for lethal chaos inside our military.”

As an example of such “mutiny,” the generals referred to the Oklahoma National Guard’s standoff with the Pentagon over the Covid-19 vaccination mandate, calling it “perhaps more worrying” sign of a brewing military breakdown than members of the military taking part in the Capitol riot. Brigadier General Thomas Mancino openly defied the military vaccination mandate, promising that Oklahoma National Guard members would not be punished if they refused to get the jab despite the Pentagon’s threat to withdraw funding from the force.

The generals appeared to suggest the denigration of the US military might only happen if Republicans claim victory in the next presidential race, seemingly ruling out a possibility that US President Joe Biden won’t be reelected.

A doomsday scenario, as laid out by the generals, will see “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.”  

In a contested election, with loyalties split, some might follow orders from the rightful commander in chief, while others might follow the Trumpian loser

The generals also suggested that anti-Biden politicians “at state and federal level”  might want to close ranks behind “a losing candidate” in an attempt to install them as president. The resulting chaos may pave the way for a “civil war” which will undermine US security and can be exploited by America’s “enemies” to carry out an “all-out assault” on US assets or that of its allies, the generals warned in their chilling message.

A crowd of supporters of ex-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on January 6, seeking to block the certification of the 2020 presidential elections results for Democrat Joe Biden. While hundreds have been arrested following the riot, none were charged with inciting “insurrection.” This week, Washington, DC filed lawsuit against 31 alleged pro-Trump activists for “causing extensive damage to the District.”

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