Ex-Pentagon chiefs warn of political interference in US military

WASHINGTON: Former Pentagon chiefs warned on Tuesday that the deep divisions in US politics are putting unwanted pressure on the armed forces and expressed concern that civilian political interference in the military could worsen.

Eight former defence secretaries and five ex-joint chiefs chairmen signed a statement on 16 "Best Practices of Civil-Military Relations" that came after several years - particularly under former president Donald Trump - in which the Pentagon became enmeshed in political machinations.

"We are in an exceptionally challenging civil-military environment," they wrote. "Politically, military professionals confront an extremely adverse environment characterised by the divisiveness of affective polarisation that culminated in the first election in over a century when the peaceful transfer of political power was disrupted and in doubt," they said.

"Looking ahead, all of these factors could well get worse before they get better." The statement, published by the defence-focused "War on the Rocks" website, did not cite any examples to illustrate civil-military tensions. But it did make reference to the challenge to the 2020 election results by Trump and his supporters that led to the violent Jan 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol.

The Pentagon has been accused of stalling the deployment of National Guard troops to confront the attackers. Also during the Trump years, military personnel were asked to help in a number of non-traditional activities, including building a border wall and guarding the border against undocumented migrants, and helping police cities hit by violent protests.