"US General May Resign in Droves if Military Mobilized After Trump’s Election Dispute"

NYT Reports Citing Senior Military Officials... Internal Discussions on Whether to Follow Orders to Suppress Protests
US Joint Chiefs Chairman: "Military Upholds Principle of Political Neutrality"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Concerns are being raised within the military leadership that Donald Trump, the President of the United States, might deploy military forces in response to potential post-election protests. If such a deployment attempt becomes a reality, it is reported that high-ranking generals, starting with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, could resign one after another.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 25th (local time), citing anonymous senior military officials, that they are internally discussing how to respond if President Trump invokes the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to protest sites.

With large-scale unrest occurring following President Trump's refusal to concede the election, the military leadership is facing a practical dilemma about whether to follow the commander-in-chief's orders to suppress the protests.

The military's stance is to remain apolitical. When President Trump visited a church in Washington DC holding a Bible amid Black rights protests, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Chairman Milley accompanied him but faced intense criticism and subsequently apologized for their participation.

Regarding this, Chairman Milley stated in a written response to the House Armed Services Committee last month, "The military deeply adheres to the principle of being apolitical," and emphasized, "In case of disputes related to elections, the resolution should be handled by the courts and Congress, not the military."

President Trump has already hinted at the possibility of deploying troops based on the Insurrection Act during protests triggered by the death of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of a white police officer.