In a well-timed message after Nov 7th elections Lloyd Austin sent out a direct-to-troops memo which highlights Pentagons non-political position. The defense chief made this move right after Donald Trump won his way back to the White House (after being out for about 4 years)
The U.S. military will stand ready to carry out the policy choices of its next Commander in Chief‚ and to obey all lawful orders from its civilian chain of command
The memo came as a follow-up to Trumps pre-election talk where he mentioned dealing with an “enemy from within“; this raised some eye-brows about possible troop deployment against citizens. During his chat with reporters in Miami Austin pointed out that top-brass will stay focused on their main job — protecting the nation and taking care of service-members
Looking back at Trumps first time in office from 17 to 21‚ some experts noticed his non-standard ways of getting military support which went against usual practice. Now as the ex-president prepares to move back into the White House on Jan 20th both US friends and rivals wonder what his next term might bring
The defense secretary made these key points about military duties:
- Stay away from political games
- Guard the republic with solid standards
- Work with partner countries for better security
- Protect Constitution and citizens rights
In a follow-up statement Austin showed trust in Pentagon leaders saying theyʼll keep doing whats right through team-work and proper focus on their main task