Report: Trump Draft Order Would Create Board to Evaluate, Dismiss Generals

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Facts

  • A draft executive order reviewed by The Wall Street Journal would allow Pres.-elect Donald Trump to create a 'warrior board,' which would consist of retired senior military personnel and would allow them to fire three- and four-star officers who don't pass the board's review process.[1]
  • The draft order describes the removable generals and admirals as 'lacking in requisite leadership qualities.' But the order doesn't provide details of what officers must do to meet the board's requirements.[1]
  • Trump, as commander-in-chief, would have the power to fire any officer. This board would allow Trump to bypass the Pentagon's promotion system, as well as lean on the board to identify officers who don't meet a particular standard.[2]
  • The order, drafted by the Trump transition team and several external policy groups, has yet to be presented to the incoming president and won't take effect unless he approves it.[3][4][1]
  • This comes as Trump on Wednesday announced he would nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be defense secretary. A veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and a two-time Bronze Star recipient, Hegseth is also the author of the book 'The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.'[4]
  • In announcing Hegseth's nomination, Trump described the book's message as revealing what he alleged is 'the leftwing betrayal' of the military by allowing woke ideology to spread.[5]

Sources: [1]Wsj, [2]The Hill, [3]DailyKos.com, [4]Daily Mail and [5]Washington Examiner.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by Military.com and Newsweek. Regardless of how much one thinks the military should value diversity, this order and the board it would create sound like Trump plans to shift the military's loyalties from the Constitution to his administration. Politics are supposed to remain outside of the ranks, and servicemembers won't be able to effectively do their jobs if they're constantly worrying about displeasing one politician that's judging them on an unknown scale.
  • Right narrative, as provided by The Telegraph and Nationalreview. Trump promised to rid the military of woke generals and this order will send him down that path. It's about time someone acted to upend the military review process. It was the Biden administration that politicized the military when it made diversity and inclusion more important than effectiveness and merit among the ranks. Now it's up to the Trump administration to cleanse the military and make sure it's focused on the right tasks at hand.