General Mark Milley (bio here), as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is America’s highest-ranking military officer.
Following revelations that, after the attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol, he twice called China’s top general “to assure him Trump did not have plans to attack Beijing as part of a ploy to remain in power,” (story here), and took steps to prevent him from ordering a nuclear attack (story here), an incensed Trump accused him of “treason” (story here), and even Trump critic Alexander Vindman said he “must resign” if, as reported, Milley “secretly promised his Chinese counterpart he would provide advance warning if former President Donald Trump ordered an attack on China” (story here).
So that, basically, is the controversy in a nutshell.
The U.S. has a deadly nuclear arsenal, but only the President can order use of nuclear weapons — under any circumstances. The “nuclear football,” a satchel containing codes and communications equipment, follows him wherever he goes. (The vice president has one, too.) The President’s authority to issue such an order is, essentially, unrestricted. Or is it?
There is precedent for military officials positioning to intervene against “unusual orders” from the President. In 1974, as Nixon’s presidency was unraveling under the weight of the Watergate scandal, Defense Secretary James Schlesinger “issued an unprecedented set of orders: If the president gave any nuclear launch order, military commanders should check with either him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger before executing them. Schlesinger feared that the president, who seemed depressed and was drinking heavily, might order Armageddon” (story here). So Trump isn’t the first president to be considered a possible madman, and what Schlesinger did is no secret; it’s been public knowledge for many years.
When Hollywood has depicted mad generals, it’s always been in the role of a military general who tries to order a nuclear attack without presidential authorization (“Dr. Strangelover”), or tried to push a president into a potentially nuclear conflict (depiction of General Curtis LeMay in “Thirteen Days” about the Cuban missile crisis).
But qualitatively, that’s different from a real-life scenario in which Pentagon officials intervene to prevent a nuclear war. While the president is given final authority to issue such orders, it’s not a bad idea to have another failsafe on the nuclear football if the people around him suspect he’s off his rocker.
So, should General Milley be fired? It’s not up to me. Predictably, Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Fox talking heads, and the usual gang of screeching rightwingers out in the weeds, are demanding his head on a platter. I would argue those people aren’t authorities on what is acceptable conduct.
Biden his standing by him (watch his press secretary’s response here). All I’ll say about it is that if Trump was unhinged, then I’m glad Milley, and not some Trump lackey, was in that seat; and if Milley overreacted, well, better safe than sorry.
You can’t take back a nuclear war.
Yes he broke the law, Treason. He also went went out of his lane as a professional. His orders to do what he did with the withdrawel of troops out of Afghanistan. He is responsible for the lives lost there..Stupid decisions…cause upfront 13 lives lost, now more as he left people behind. Plain facts.
He must go. either to jail, or better yet left to his own devises at Massoud circle Kabul. Like the others that he left behind to fend for themselves there right now. Oh yes lets add the billions of equipment and explosives he left behind for the terrorist Taliban to now use against western civilization. Mark my words.
Doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere.