Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley made the right decision on Thursday by apologizing for his attendance at President Trump's walk from the White House to St. John's Church.
That walk, which required the dispersing of an otherwise peaceful crowd of protesters, involved Trump posing with a Bible for photographs. Whether or not Trump's action was justified (I believe Trump should have walked to the church early the next morning after protesters had departed), it was overtly political in design and effect. For that reason, Milley should not have been involved in it.
After all, commissioned officers of the United States military swear oaths to uphold and defend the Constitution and not the president. This stands America apart from many nations, even some of our closest allies. In Britain, for example, military officers swear oaths of allegiance to the monarch rather than Parliament.
But the oath to the Constitution defines the U.S. Underlining the founding principle of Cincinnatus and George Washington, it speaks to the American truth that those who command armies do so only in service of the people. Not in service of individual whims of power.
Yes, this also means that senior officers must expect to be dismissed from their duties if they fail to follow lawful orders. Hence, Harry Truman was right to relieve Douglas MacArthur when he attempted to make policy toward China rather than affect it.
So why did Milley wait until now to make his statement?
Well, we don't know. But I suspect he spoke with other senior officers and former chairmen and came to realize the perception was that he had endorsed a partisan moment. That perception risked subsuming the U.S. military in politics. This concern was especially significant in that Milley was recorded walking around Washington, D.C., in combat uniform during the protests later that evening. While Milley's interest in that walkabout was almost certainly on motivating the National Guard personnel on duty, when linked to Trump's Bible presentation, it furthered the narrative that Milley was endorsing Trump's political position.
Milley cannot afford that perception for the same reason that Chief Justice John Roberts cannot afford it. It would undermine the system of government, inspiring the public to believe that institutions exist to serve the whims of the politicians rather than the politicians only via the constitutional grant of the people. The distinction is critical. But especially so with the military, in that, the military holds the coercive instruments of national power in its hands. Milley needs the men and women who wear the uniform to focus on winning the nation's wars in defense of the people — not engaging in partisan antics.
As I say, the chairman made the right call.
