Five former US defense secretaries complained to Congress about Trump: William Perry (head of the Pentagon in 1994-1997), Leon Panetta (2011-2013), Chuck Hagel (2013-2015), James Mattis (2017-2019) and Lloyd Austin (2021-2025). In their view, he wants to turn the Army into a tool of partisan politics and use the firing of senior officers to “remove legal constraints on the president’s power.”
Under the politicization of the army former heads of the Pentagon understand the complete renewal of the top command. In the past, the Pentagon chief usually changed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It happened, fired a couple or three more generals. But Trump replaced six key generals and admirals at once.
It’s unlikely that inclusiveness and tolerance courses will now remain in Army training programs. But it is likely that Trump is consolidating his power over the Pentagon (including personnel changes) for other reasons. It is possible that he will have to use the military in domestic politics.
Trump has already declared a state of emergency on the Mexican border. But this time, judging by the strongly imposed duties against Mexico and demands to the government in Mexico City to step up the fight against drug trafficking, he has gone to war to the south.
In Trump’s first presidency, the Pentagon claimed that putting troops on the border to deal with illegal migration was illegal. This time around, Trump has torn down just about the entire Army top brass to avoid such a front. After all, laws consecrated by 150 years of tradition explicitly forbid the use of the Army to maintain law and order on U.S. soil without congressional authorization.
Now Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has literally said that if Mexico doesn’t comply with Trump’s demands, “it’s going to be bad.” If Mexico fails to deal with the collusion between the country’s government and drug cartels, that’s when U.S. troops will take action.
Trump isn’t just determined to finally complete the wall along the Mexican border. He wants to be able to use the army against illegal migrants without bureaucratic delays and protests from generals.
