Retired Military Officers Form Committee... Evaluation of Active Generals
Diversity Promotion Targeting So-Called 'Awake Generals'
Targets Include Afghan Withdrawal Personnel and Charles Brown
Reports have emerged that President-elect Donald Trump is considering establishing an organization to overhaul the senior military leadership. The plan involves creating a committee composed of retired military personnel to evaluate active generals.
On the 12th (local time), The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Trump transition team is reviewing a draft executive order to establish a "Warrior Committee" made up of retired senior military officers to assess high-ranking military officials, including three- and four-star generals.
According to the draft executive order obtained by WSJ, the committee would be able to swiftly push for the dismissal of generals deemed lacking essential qualifications. The evaluation criteria include leadership capabilities, strategic readiness, and commitment to military excellence. However, specific conditions to meet these criteria were not detailed.
Those targeted for dismissal must step down within 30 days.
The draft executive order is currently under review and is expected to be reported once President-elect Trump takes office.
WSJ noted that considering Trump’s past remarks about retiring "woke generals," this order could impact senior military officials. "Woke generals" refers to generals who promote diversity even at the expense of military discipline. This is also interpreted as a signal that Trump intends to purge several generals.
According to sources, the establishment of the Warrior Committee aligns with Trump’s demand to remove generals considered failures, including those involved in the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. Trump has mentioned the chaos during the withdrawal, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. soldiers, and said he would request all generals involved to resign by noon on Inauguration Day.
Multiple Department of Defense officials indicated that another potential target for dismissal is General Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Although Brown’s term is still ongoing, Trump is critical of the diversity policies Brown has introduced within the military.
A source familiar with the transition said the Trump team plans to implement sweeping reforms in the Department of Defense, especially focusing on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It is also expected that a significant number of three- and four-star generals with poor performance will essentially retire," the source said.
Caroline Ribbit, spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team, declined to comment on the draft executive order but stated, "The American people gave President Trump the authority to fulfill the promises made during his campaign by re-electing him by an overwhelming margin. He will carry them out."
On the same day, President-elect Trump nominated Fox News host and Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran Peter Hegse to be Secretary of Defense. If confirmed by the Senate, Hegse is expected to play a key role in implementing the results of the Warrior Committee’s review.
Eric Carpenter, a military law professor at Florida International University College of Law, pointed out, "It seems they want to remove anyone who is not a 'yes man.' To dismiss officers who can say 'no' based on law or ethics, they would need to create a completely arbitrary system. This would allow them to fire whoever they want."
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