With his deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, President Trump has further pushed the U.S. military into an uneasy role in domestic American politics. Would the military itself resist being put there? In a guest essay late last year, Steven Simon and Jonathan Stevenson held out hope that it would: “Americans have counted on the indispensability of a constitutionally alert military,” they said. But with changes at the Pentagon under Trump, their hopes have faded. In a new guest essay, they write: “Unfortunately, though we (and others) had hoped that the military would only respond to calls to action in American cities and states kicking and screaming, we no longer expect resistance from that institution.” They add that in 2025, “general officers no longer seem to see themselves as guardians of the constitutional order.” Constitutional discipline, they suggest, will have to be found elsewhere.
Here’s what we’re focusing on today:
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