Trump's Dangerous Words Demand Action

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Recent calls by political leaders for the deployment of military forces to manage Election Day unrest should deeply concern every American who values democracy. As a veteran who has served this nation, I know firsthand the importance of keeping partisan politics out of our military. Former President Donald Trump's suggestion isn't just irresponsible -- it's a threat to the democratic system we swore to defend.

During an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo on "Sunday Morning Futures," Trump suggested deploying the military to address what he termed "the enemy from within" on Election Day. He said his concerns were less about chaos from his own supporters or foreign actors and more about others in America.

"We have some very bad people. We have some sick people. Radical left lunatics," Trump said. "I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can't let that happen."

The idea of using military force to suppress political opposition is more than mere rhetoric; it undermines the very principles of civilian control of the military and the peaceful transfer of power. Our Founding Fathers understood this. That's why they created safeguards like the Posse Comitatus Act, designed to prevent the military from being used as a tool of political power. These safeguards are there to prevent abuses of power, and to keep our nation from slipping into authoritarianism. When a former president casually disregards these protections, we should all take notice.

In 2023, I participated in a bipartisan exercise hosted by the nonpartisan Vet Voice Foundation, which examined a scenario that has become all too plausible in today's climate. Senior officials from the past five presidential administrations, alongside veterans and military leaders, role-played what would happen if a small number of radicalized elements of the military were to reject the results of a democratic election and back a losing candidate. It's the kind of scenario that, as a military officer, you hope you'll never see, but brings into sharp focus how fragile our democracy is and the need for constant vigilance. That exercise was memorialized in a new documentary, "War Game."

This exercise was inspired, in part, by an op-ed written by three retired U.S. generals in the wake of Jan. 6, 2021. They warned of the possible fractures in our military that our country's political divisions could cause, leading to a breakdown in the chain of command and the possibility of extremists in the military involvement in a coup. These men were not alarmists -- they were speaking from the hard-earned experience of decades in uniform, and their words should serve as a wake-up call for all Americans.

The goal of the exercise wasn't to scare anyone, but to ensure the nation is prepared. Democracy is fragile, and the peaceful transfer of power cannot be taken for granted. That's why we need to plan for these worst-case scenarios, to ensure our military leaders are equipped to resist illegal orders, and to protect our institutions from those who would undermine them.

The exercise highlighted that the Insurrection Act, a federal law that grants the president authority to deploy U.S. military forces within the country to suppress civil disorder, insurrection or rebellion, could be misused by allowing a commander in chief broad authority to deploy troops domestically without clear limits, potentially stifling lawful dissent. It also underscored the need for reforms to the Insurrection Act itself, to prevent unchecked presidential power from undermining democratic freedoms and ensure that federal troop deployment is reserved strictly for genuine crises beyond the capacity of local authorities.

When a former president calls for its use in an election context, we must take that threat seriously.

We cannot afford to be complacent. The generals who warned of this threat in 2021 were right: The divisions in our country have deepened, and the risks have grown. The exercise I participated in was an attempt to identify and address these vulnerabilities before it's too late. But it's not just the military that needs to be prepared -- it's all of us. The responsibility to safeguard our democracy doesn't rest with any one group. It's a collective duty.

Americans of all political stripes must reject the notion that the military can or should be used to settle political disputes. The strength of our democracy depends on our ability to unite, to respect the rule of law, and to ensure that our armed forces remain above the political fray.

Anything less would be a betrayal of everything we've fought to protect.

-- Linda L. Singh is a retired major general of the Maryland Army National Guard. She was appointed as the adjutant general of Maryland by Gov. Larry Hogan, responsible for the daily operations of the Maryland Military Department, which includes the Maryland Army National Guard, Maryland Air National Guard, Maryland Emergency Management Agency, and Maryland Defense Force.