Former Pentagon chiefs condemn Pentagon firings and accuse Trump of turning military into tool of partisan politics
Five former US defense secretaries have condemned President Donald Trump's "reckless" dismissal of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown and other senior officers.
According to Censor.NET, with reference to Reuters, this is stated in an open letter on February 27, signed by William Perry, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Lloyd Austin, and James Mattis.
The ex-ministers accused the president of seeking to turn the apolitical US military into an instrument of partisan politics and of using the firings to "remove legal constraints on power." They believe that such actions undermine the all-volunteer force and weaken US national security.
"Trump's firings raise troubling questions about the administration's desire to politicize the military. We, like many Americans- including many in the military- are forced to conclude that these leaders are being fired solely for partisan reasons," the letter reads.
The former defense secretaries called on the U.S. House and Senate to hold hearings to "assess the national security implications of Trump's firings." They also called on Congress to refuse to approve any new Defense Department nominees, including retired Lt. Gen. Dan Kane's candidacy for the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"We call on the U.S. Congress to hold Trump accountable for these reckless actions and to fully exercise its constitutional oversight responsibilities," the Pentagon chiefs wrote.
As a reminder, on January 22, Trump announced that he had decided to fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown.
In addition, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hagel announced that he is "seeking nominations" to replace Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti and Vice Commander of the Air Force General James Slife. Hegseth is also looking for new candidates for the positions of general counsel for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
On January 29, Hughes revoked access to classified information and personal security for former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley. He ordered an investigation into his behavior.
In addition, Trump plans to liquidate the American military base in the Greek city of Alexandroupolis, which was created to supply weapons and equipment to Ukraine and NATO countries in Eastern Europe.
