Anyone who has served our country in the armed forces knows the phrase “good order and discipline.”
That is the performance standard expected of both enlisted personnel and officers in order to build and maintain an effective fighting force.
Without good order and discipline, troops and officers become slovenly, unruly, and, ultimately incapable of doing the job they are required to do: Protect and defend the country in times of conflict, internal and external.
There were some examples of troops ignoring this performance standard in recent days as National Guard troops were called up in several states to assist local and state authorities in quelling riots and looting.
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At the same time there was violence, there were also scores of peaceful demonstrations all aimed at drawing attention to the death of George Floyd at the hands of a few bad cops in Minneapolis last month.
The demonstrations were, of course, inherently political in nature, and as such, off-limits to uniformed military personnel. Guard troops were sent to help keep the peace, not become protest participants.
Indeed, military personnel are forbidden by statute from taking part in political demonstrations and rallies while in uniform. Every troop knows this because they are taught during training and most are reminded nearly every election cycle.
And yet, uniformed Guard troops in California and Minnesota acquiesced to the demands of some protesters to “take a knee” with them to ‘show solidarity’ with their causes and with Floyd.
That is a blatant violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which forbids such overtly political acts while serving in an official capacity. You can’t have a “Vote Trump” sticker at your workstation or on your body armor; you can’t ‘take a knee’ at a protest to ‘show solidarity’ with one political cause another.
And yet, the military has suddenly decided that this rule is actually more of a suggestion now than a mandate.
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Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told reporters that the issues are complex and that soldiers are “Americans,” Military.com reported. He added that the National Guard will remind members that they should stay out of protests, but will not punish those who have not.
“We don’t want to punish our soldiers,” McCarthy said. “A lot of this is we’re going to talk to each other – we’re going to have very hard, uncomfortable conversations. We’re going to listen to each other, and we want to just make sure everybody understands: we don’t want to protest in uniform.”
As a veteran, I find that position untenable, unacceptable, and disrespectful – not to mention antithetical to “good order and discipline.”
This isn’t about ‘being an American.’ That has nothing to do with anything. It’s about requiring troops to follow orders while commanders and non-commissioned officers ensure all regulations are not simply carried out but carried out uniformly.
Because now that these troops have gotten away with flagrantly violating statutes prohibiting the participation in political protests, the statute will unquestionably be violated again. And again.
What then? Call them ‘Americans’ and call it a day?
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The last thing Americans should ever want is a politicized military. Banana republics and unstable countries have politicized militaries. And in those nations, leaders generally use their ‘loyal’ military to oppress segments of their population.
President Trump should direct Secretary McCarthy to instruct the relevant commanders to mete out punishment of those who flagrantly broke the law, and if he won’t give the order, then Trump should fire him.
As our country teeters on the edge of all-out conflagration over lies, misconceptions, and other Left-wing constructs, the last thing we need is a politically divided military that lacks “good order and discipline.”
