CENTRAL VIEW for Monday, September 20, 2021

General Milley: Over the edge and under the bus

If Bob Woodward’s latest blockbuster book is accurate, then JCS Chairman, General Mark A. Milley, has a serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). It also appears General Milley does not understand the statutes that define the duties and responsibilities of his office.

Recall, ever since the reign of JFK’s Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to include the Chairman, have zero command authority. While the JCS Chairman is, by law, the highest ranking officer in our military, "He may not exercise military command over the Joint Chiefs of Staff or any of the Armed Forces." That includes the National Guard.

By law, the JCS Chairman is the principal military adviser to the President and to the National Security Council (NSC), a role that does not require the wearing of combat fatigues. Yet, on June 1, 2020, General Milley shows up at Lafayette Park across from the White House in combat uniform as if he would be commanding the National Guard troops and the D.C. police who were defending the equestrian statue of General Lafayette from being toppled by the burning and looting Black Lives Matter (BLM) mob.

Inexplicably, General Milley walks over to the burned-out front of St. John’s Episcopal Church and is photographed with President Trump. Whether that was General Milley’s idea is unknown; however, if he had been requested to pose with President Trump, he should have respectfully declined on the grounds of keeping the military out of events that might be deemed political. Instead, he took part in the photo op. Anti-Trumpers began to call for Milley’s resignation. Did that send General Milley’s TDS over the edge? You decide.

Then, in October, 2020, an entire month before President Trump was denied reelection, General Milley is on the phone with his Chicom counterpart, Genera Li. If Bob Woodward’s account of that conversation is correct, General Milley tells General Li not to worry about being attacked by the U.S. But, if an attack were about to be ordered by President Trump, General Milley would let General Li know in advance.

Image if General Eisenhower called up German General Rommel and said, "Look, Erwin, don’t worry. If that sick and dying old man, President Roosevelt, orders me to invade Normandy, I’ll let you know in advance."

Whether one admires or not General Milley’s embrace of Critical Race Training (CRT), or his belief that climate change is our military’s greatest challenge, is not the issue here. The problem is that General Milley does not appear to understand the oath he took as a military officer to defend the U.S. Constitution and obey the two statutes, cited below, that define his duties and responsibilities.

The oath and the law compel the Chairman to obey the orders of his Commander in Chief. If he, in good conscience, cannot do so, he must resign from his office. Or, he could be fired. But the Biden Regency* dare not fire General Milley while Milley is being lionized by the MSM.

General Milley’s "insubordinate treachery" is likely to be a campaign issue in 2022. So, if he does not resign, watch for General Milley to be thrown under the Biden** bus.

* Regency is when someone rules in place of someone else.

** Election is increasingly disputed.

Suggested reading: 10 U.S.C. Sections 152 and 153.

(c) 2021 William Hamilton.

Dr. Hamilton can be contacted at:

Email: william@central-view.com