Summary
Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News presenter with minimal managerial experience, as defense secretary has stunned the Pentagon.
Hegseth has been a vocal critic of the military, calling for a purge of generals and questioning the appointment of Gen. Charles Brown as chair of the joint chiefs of staff.
Hegseth’s nomination is seen as a boost for the far right in Israel, as he has shown support for territorial expansion and suggested the construction of a new temple on the Temple Mount.
Eh, the military will probably coup before submitting to Stalin-esque purges.
That isn’t a particularly good thing. Coups are like Lay’s and Pringles… You can’t just have one and once you pop you just can’t stop.
Yeah, I’m trying to think of a recent (<100y) example that didn’t result in a junta or other coups, and I’m drawing a blank.
Gorbachev purging the Soviet military.
I don’t think that’s really a coup — if anything it’s the same as what Trump wants to do, but unlike Mr. Pizza Hut he isn’t on the right side of history.
I interpreted you as saying that you couldn’t think of a mass purge that didn’t result in a junta or other coups.
I was thinking (and presumably xmunk too) of scenarios where the military overthrows the government.
There are lots of examples of purges not resulting in coups, including the most famous purger of recent times, Stalin.
Ah
Collapsing the USSR and causing horrible living conditions throughout the area for the better part of two decades was the right side of history?
Right, I forgot he singlehandedly destroyed the USSR, which was a glorious utopia until his leadership and would totally still be around today otherwise. Thanks for the correction.
No because he has already said when he becomes President he is going to create a task force that will basically clean house in the military of any ranking people that are not ‘yes men’
He is wanting to create a North Korea/Russia style military that is only there to agree with him.
He doesn’t understand just how decentralized the military command structure is, and the enlisted-officer relationship that has existed for a very, very long time. Just because anything is written in a regulation and a high-ranking officer with a good idea fairy perched on his shoulder says something or orders something doesn’t mean it happens. Or that the report back from down below is actually true. Officers that actually rise up through the ranks understand that they, too, should sleep with one eye open if the enlisted do not approve.
This is an insane take. No, the military isn’t going to coup over this. If the generals were getting executed, perhaps, but they’re just being retired or shuffled off to other duties.