#Gen. Mark Milley

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The Pentagon forced an Air Force base in Nevada to cancel a drag show at the start of Pride Month that had already been approved, according to three officials familiar with the situation.

The drag show at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada was scheduled for June 1 and recognizes the importance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service members and civilian personnel. According to a military official, it would have been the third annual drag show held at Nellis, known as “The Home of the Fighter Pilot” and the Air Force’s center for advanced fighter training.

Despite the previous two events being held at the base, this one was not allowed to move forward after the Pentagon intervened on Wednesday, according to two defense officials, forcing the base to cancel the event or move it to a different location.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken in support Pride Month in the military, saying in 2021 that “LGBTQ+ citizens have fought to defend our rights and freedoms from the founding of our nation to the Civil War” and beyond. But he has drawn a line at allowing drag events or shows to be hosted at military bases, one of the officials said, making clear that DoD funds cannot be appropriated for such events.

“Consistent with Secretary Austin’s congressional testimony, the Air Force will not host drag events at its installations or facilities,” an Air Force official said. “Commanders have been directed to either cancel or relocate these events to an off-base location.”

NBC News was first to report on the show’s cancellation.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said drag shows are not an appropriate use of US military bases.

“As Secretary Austin has said, the DOD will not host drag events at US military installations or facilities,” spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. “Hosting these types of events in federally funded facilities is not a suitable use of DOD resources. Our Service members are diverse and are allowed to have personal outlets.”

In March, Austin told a House Armed Services Committee hearing that “drag shows are not something the Defense Department supports or funds.” Pressed by Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida who has attacked the Defense Department over what he claims is a focus on “wokeism,” Austin reiterated at the time that “this is not something we support or fund.”

During the same exchange, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley said he wanted to look into the occurrences of drag shows on military bases to “find out what actually is going on there.”

“I’d like to take a look at those, because I don’t agree with those,” he said. “I think those things shouldn’t be happening.”

#us politics #news #cnn politics #happy pride 🌈 #lgbtqia+ rights #lgbtqia+ #lgbtqia+ representation #us military #department of defense #the pentagon #Nellis Air Force Base #nevada #Lloyd Austin #NBC News #secretary of defense #House Armed Services Committee #gen. mark milley

[gwydionmisha]

#Republican Agenda #Rep. Paul Gosar #Death Threat #Gen. Mark Milley #News

[midnightfunk]

Donny, the problem with pathological lying is that eventually you run into someone who tells the truth.

#donald trump #january 6 hearings #treason #chris miller #gen. mark milley #sedition #insurrection #defense secretary

[xtruss]

General Mark Milley’s Second Act: Multimillionaire! In the Classroom, the Boardroom, and at the Speaker’s Dais, the Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs Cashes in.

— Ken Klippenstein | March 11 2024 | The Intercept

Outgoing Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley during an Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in his honor at Summerall Field at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall on Sept. 29, 2023, in Arlington, Vigina. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Since Retiring From the Military Last Year, Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley has become a senior adviser to JPMorgan Chase bank, joined the faculties of Princeton and Georgetown, and embraced the lucrative paid speaking circuit. From military pay of $204,000 a year, Milley is sure to skyrocket to compensation in the millions, especially because he is represented by the same high-powered speakers’ agency as Hillary Clinton, who faced criticism in 2016 for her paid speeches to investment bank Goldman Sachs.

Called “cashing in” by military officers, transitioning from capped government salaries to defense industry, private consulting for global risk management, or work with venture capital brings in lavish paydays. For retired generals, the invasion is swift. The recently retired chief of space operations for the Space Force, Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, for example, has joined the board of directors for aerospace companies Impulse Space and Axiom Space, as well as becoming senior managing director for investment firm Cerberus Capital Management. Gen. James C. McConville, who served as chief of staff of the Army before retiring last year, has joined the board of directors of drone manufacturer Edge Autonomy and aerospace investment firm AE Industrial Partners, as an operating partner.

Milley’s speaker’s agency, Harry Walker Agency is touting the retired general, who crossed swords with former President Donald Trump and continues to be a polarizing figure, for his insights on leadership and international conflicts. “His perspective is invaluable for audiences looking to understand the impact of current conflicts and managing risks on boards of directors and leadership teams who are responsible for making strategic decisions and identifying vulnerabilities,” the website says.

According to the speaker’s agency, Milley recently participated in a Q&A at a gathering of 160 CEOs organized by investment bank Moelis & Company, where he provided his “insider’s perspective on world affairs.”

The engagement has not been previously reported.

“He was terrific — we loved him!” said Moelis & Company, a global investment bank, in a review featured on the agency website. “It was fantastic!”

According to the agency website, Milley “provided crucial perspective to business leaders,” but provided little more detail.

On March 4, Milley also spoke at the American Council on Education’s 2024 Presidents and Chancellors Summit at the Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C., according to an event page. A portrait of Milley appears on the list of major speakers and links to his Harry Walker Agency page.

His speech at the summit was sponsored by Deloitte, one of the world’s largest consulting and accounting firms, an event page notes. The page describes his speech as exploring “the convergence of democracy, higher education, and moral leadership during times of crisis”; as well as “emphasizing the responsibilities of leaders to uphold democratic principles and inspire resilience in challenging times.”

“The Summit was exclusively for presidents and chancellors, and there is no transcript,” Jonathan Riskind, vice president of public affairs and strategic communications for the American Council on Education, told The Intercept in response to a query.

Asked for transcripts of this and other speaking engagements, and for Milley’s compensation, Moelis & Company, the Harry Walker Agency, and Milley himself did not respond to requests for comment.

Speaker’s fees for former top officials like Milley are often substantial. During the 2016 presidential election, Democratic nominee Clinton came under fire for receiving over $600,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs alone in one year. Along with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, the couple raked in over $153 million in speaking fees since leaving the White House.

Milley has emerged as an ardent critic of Trump — unusual for high-ranking military officers who typically eschew politics. In his final speech as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff last year, in a swipe at Trump, Milley said that “we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”

Trump replied with a statement on his social media platform Truth Social: “Mark Milley, who led perhaps the most embarrassing moment in American history with his grossly incompetent implementation of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, costing many lives, leaving behind hundreds of American citizens, and handing over BILLIONS of dollars of the finest military equipment ever made, will be leaving the military next week.”

Clinton’s speeches reportedly earned her around $200,000 a pop — about the same as Milley’s annual salary when he was in uniform.

#General Mark Milley #Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley #Second Act: Multimillionaire! #Former Chair of the Joint Chiefs Cashes In #Classroom | Boardroom | Speaker’s Dais #The Intercept

[zvaigzdelasas]

Now, seven months later, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tells "CBS News Sunday Morning" the balloon wasn't spying. "The intelligence community, their assessment – and it's a high-confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon," he said.[...]

The balloon had been headed toward Hawaii, but the winds at 60,000 feet apparently took over. "Those winds are very high," Milley said. "The particular motor on that aircraft can't go against those winds at that altitude."

Wow that almost sounds like exactly what the Chinese government (evil communists, will eat you and your babies) said on day 1 and have said ever since. Which can only mean.....

How did they know & what are they hiding 🧐🧐🧐🧐

[17 Sep 23]

#patiently waiting for the chorus of 'oh we were wrongs' from the useful idiots sorry i mean principled anti-pro-china-poster posters

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

It’s not everyday a former president calls for your execution should he become president again. Orange Hitler is a stochastic terrorist and someone must stop this too many have been killed already because of his deranged lies and narcissism.

😡🤬

#republican assholes #general mark milley #republican values #trump #stochastic terrorism

[tomorrowusa]

« We don't take an oath to a king, or queen, or a tyrant or a dictator. And we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don't take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we're willing to die to protect it. »

— Gen. Mark A. Milley speaking as he stepped down as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and transferred responsibility to Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown, Jr.. Via the Department of Defense.

In his farewell speech, Gen. Milley took an apparent dig at Donald Trump (a wannabe dictator) who regarded the military as his personal plaything.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Gen. Milley for remaining loyal to his oath during the dangerous Trump administration.

He has stepped down from his position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. But his certificate of retirement (visible in the vid) indicates that he doesn't officially leave the US Army until the end of October. So after that he will be able to speak more candidly about Trump's attempts to undermine democracy. If he writes a book, it will probably be on the bestseller list in 2024.

#mark milley #joint chiefs of staff #retirement #us military #donald trump #wannabe dictator #trump administration

[maturemenoftvandfilms]

Mark Milley Former U. S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Gen. Milley speaking at the Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in his honor.

Now that he's retired, maybe I could get pics of him out of uniform so I can figure out what dat ass really looks like.

I'm betting it's wide, thick and firm. And maybe a bit of a bubble to it.

What?

On A Side Note: This is the guy replacing Ge. Milley. General Charles Q. Brown Jr.. Err... I could work with him.

#mark milley #handsome daddy #husky daddy #cilf #daddy #celebrities #military uniform #politician #americian politician

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Blake Masters, the Republican nominee for Senate in Arizona, has repeatedly said the U.S. should clean house on the senior ranks of the military, pushing the claim that all the generals and admirals are “woke” and “left-wing” losers who’ve never won a war.

His solution? Fire them all, and promote “the most conservative colonels.”

“Your entire general class, they're left-wing politicians at this point. It's very hard to become a general without being some kind of left-of-center politician,” he said at an Apache Junction Ladies for President Trump event in August 2021, according to audio obtained by VICE News. “I would love to see all the generals get fired. You take the most conservative colonels, you promote them to general. Not because the ideology is important, but because the conservative colonels will be able to leave the ideology aside. They just care about an effective fighting force.”

This is far from an isolated comment. Masters, who won his primary with major financial help from his former employer and friend Peter Thiel and a key endorsement from former President Donald Trump, has repeatedly suggested that only conservatives can be trusted to set aside ideology and maintain an effective military—and that they’re the ones who should be in charge.

Masters explicitly called for a wholesale firing of the generals at least seven times between August 2021 and March 2022, according to a VICE News review of his remarks, and harshly criticized military leadership numerous other times.

“I think you probably want to fire most or all the generals and replace them with apolitical colonels, who will probably have conservative politics,” he said during a September 2021 Twitter Spaces event hosted by Josiah Lippincott, whose Twitter account has since been suspended, according to a recording of the event obtained by VICE News.

In November, Masters put out a tweet calling the top generals “woke corporate bozos” and released an accompanying video where he proclaimed “our military leadership is totally incompetent.”

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, Masters’ opponent and a retired U.S. Navy captain and astronaut, featured that clip in his latest ad that looks to paint Masters, who has not served in the military, as an extremist.

It’s clear that Masters’ campaign video dissing the military’s top brass wasn’t a one-off.

“We just have to get serious again. And it means purging the military of the left-wing generals,” Masters said on the right-wing podcast Steak for Breakfast in February. “There's a lot of center-right or apolitical colonels that we can promote.”

“Basically every general above a two-star at this point is some kind of left-wing politician, and they need to be fired and retired, and you need to promote the apolitical colonels who actually want to be serious about, again, projecting lethality when called upon,” he said in March to Arizona conservative radio host Garret Lewis.

Peter Feaver, a former Navy lieutenant commander who served on the National Security Council during both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush’s administrations and the author of multiple books on civil-military relations, said Masters and other conservatives were misunderstanding military leadership with their criticism of “woke” leadership.

"The military has to recruit from a diverse society and retain a diverse workforce. What he's calling 'woke' is primarily the military trying to manage a diverse workforce." he told VICE News.

And he said Masters' solution—replace supposedly liberal generals with a core of conservatives—would be disastrous, comparing it to the ideological purges of military brass in Russia that weakened the Red Army before WWII as well as before the current debacle in Ukraine.

“If you want to do something that would politicize the force and undermine lethality you could hardly design a more effective tool than to fire all the senior military leaders and then replace them with people chosen solely for their political views and not their professional merit. That is what Masters seems to be proposing,” he said. “That's close to what Stalin and Putin did. And that didn't work out well for them. Master’s cure is far worse than the disease.”

Masters and his campaign didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment for this story.

Much of Masters’ specific ire has been directed at Gen. Mark Milley, who Trump appointed chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in late 2018. Masters and other conservatives were enraged by Milley’s defense of a course at the U.S. Military Academy that included study of critical race theory last summer.

“I want to understand white rage, and I’m white,” Milley said during congressional testimony. “So, what is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America? What caused that? I want to find that out.”

Masters has mocked the general as “General ‘White Rage’ Milley.”

And it would be incorrect for Masters to assume that a random draw of colonels would necessarily yield a group that’s nearly exclusively conservative. While military veterans broke for Trump by a 10-point margin in 2020, according to national exit polls, active-duty military personnel actually leaned slightly toward Biden heading into the election, according to a pre-election survey conducted by Military Times and Syracuse University’ Institute for Veterans and Military Families. And the military is roughly as diverse racially as the broader U.S. society.

Masters’ harsh criticism of the military leadership is the latest in a long history of attacks from the right on ostensibly apolitical institutions; the impetus from some corners of the right is to imagine that the administrative state in all its facets must be biased against them. Trump’s long-running (and largely imagined) war against the “deep state” had similar tones. The idea that government bureaucrats are inherently liberal—and an effort to weed that out during Republican administrations—goes back to at least President Richard Nixon’s administration, if not Wisconsin Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s witch hunt for communists in the State Department in the 1950s.

But Masters goes a step further. First, conservatives usually spare the military from these attacks on government officials, both because it’s a historically conservative institution and because the idea of an apolitical military under civilian control is such a fundamental cornerstone of American democracy. And second, while Masters says he wants to ensure an apolitical leadership, it’s hard to square that with his repeated suggestions to promote conservatives.

And Masters seems to have no issues with Trump’s own overt moves to politicize the military during his presidency, from his attempts to have a massive military parade as a show of force on the 4th of July to his plan to declare martial law and use the military to seize voting machines in the wake of the 2020 election, a plan he only backed off of when top White House attorneys threatened to resign in protest.

And the military isn’t the only national security organization where Masters wants to clean house. He has suggested similar purges should be made in the Justice Department and FBI so that they “aren’t weaponized against us” the next time the GOP wins back the White House.

“I’m really worried about this sort of ‘wokification’ of our military,” he said in a November Twitter Spaces event hosted by former Trump administration official Adam Korzeniewski, a recording of which was obtained by VICE News.

“The general core is rotten. You have to be like a left-wing politician to get promoted above a two-star general now. It’s not going to be an effective lethal fighting force if we’re teaching soldiers about social justice and diversity and inclusion and critical race theory, and we’re naming war ships after gay rights heroes instead of, you know, World War II admirals and stuff,” he continued. “So I think cleaning house in the military, cleaning house in the DOJ, FBI, making sure those institutions aren’t weaponized against us, that’s a huge project.”

#us politics #news #donald trump #2022 #2022 midterms #2022 elections #sen. mark kelly #blake masters #Republicans #conservatives #gop #us military #vice news #fbi #department of justice #gen. mark milley #wokeness #arizona

[socialjusticeinamerica]

[bighermie]

Says it all.

[ridenwithbiden]

Gen. Mark Milley used his final speech as Joint Chiefs chair on Friday to emphasize that troops take an oath to the Constitution and not to a “wannabe dictator,” days after former President Donald Trump suggested the nation’s top officer should be put to death.

In an impassioned speech during his retirement ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va., Milley spoke of the continued bravery of American service members and underscored that the oath they take to protect the Constitution encompasses “all enemies, foreign and domestic,” emphasizing “all” and “and.”

“We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator,” Milley said. “We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we’re willing to die to protect it.”

“Every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, guardian and Coast Guardsman, each of us commits our very life to protect and defend that document, regardless of personal price,” Milley continued. “And we are not easily intimidated.”

[the-psudo]

Trump's People

“The American people deserve to know that President Trump asked me to put him over my oath to the Constitution. … Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.” — Mike Pence, Trump's vice president

“Someone who engaged in that kind of bullying about a process that is fundamental to our system and to our self-government shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office.” — Bill Barr, Trump's 2nd attorney general

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us.” — James Mattis, Trump's 1st secretary of defense

“I think he’s unfit for office. … He puts himself before country. His actions are all about him and not about the country. And then, of course, I believe he has integrity and character issues as well.” — Mark Esper, Trump's 2nd secretary of defense

“We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We take an oath to the Constitution and we take an oath to the idea that is America – and we’re willing to die to protect it.” — retired Gen. Mark Milley, Trump's chairman of the joint chiefs

“(Trump’s) understanding of global events, his understanding of global history, his understanding of US history was really limited. It’s really hard to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t even understand the concept for why we’re talking about this.” — Rex Tillerson, Trump's secretary of state

“He used to be good on foreign policy and now he has started to walk it back and get weak in the knees when it comes to Ukraine. A terrible thing happened on January 6, and he called it a beautiful day.” — Nikki Haley, Trump's 1st ambassador to the United Nations

“Someone who I would argue now is just out for himself.” — Chris Christie, Trump's presidential transition vice-chairman

“We saw the absence of leadership, really anti-leadership, and what that can do to our country.” — HR McMaster, Trump's 2nd national security adviser

“I believe (foreign leaders) think he is a laughing fool.” — John Bolton, Trump's 3rd national security adviser

“A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law. There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.” — John Kelly, Trump's 2nd chief of staff

“I quit because I think he failed at being the president when we needed him to be that.” — Mick Mulvaney, Trump's acting chief of staff and US special envoy to Ireland, resigned after January 6th, 2021

“He is the domestic terrorist of the 21st century.” — Anthony Scaramucci, one of Trump's former communications directors

“I am terrified of him running in 2024.” — Stephanie Grisham, another former communications director

“When I saw what was happening on January 6 and didn’t see the president step in and do what he could have done to turn it back or slow it down or really address the situation, it was just obvious to me that I couldn’t continue.” — Betsy DeVos, Trump's secretary of education, resigned after January 6th, 2021

“At a particular point the events were such that it was impossible for me to continue, given my personal values and my philosophy." — Elaine Chao, Trump's secretary of Transportation, resigned after January 6th, 2021

“…the president has very little understanding of what it means to be in the military, to fight ethically or to be governed by a uniform set of rules and practices.” — Richard Spencer, Trump's 1st secretary of the Navy

“The President undermined American democracy baselessly for months. As a result, he’s culpable for this siege, and an utter disgrace.” — Tom Bossert, Trump's 1st homeland security adviser

“Donald’s an idiot.” — Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer

“Trump relentlessly puts forth claims that are not true.” — Ty Cobb, Trump's White House lawyer

“We can stand by the policies, but at this point we cannot stand by the man.” — Alyssa Farah Griffin, one of Trump's directors of strategic communications, now a CNN political commentator

“Donald Trump, who would attack civil rights icons and professional athletes, who would go after grieving black widows, who would say there were good people on both sides, who endorsed an accused child molester; Donald Trump, and his decisions and his behavior, was harming the country. I could no longer be a part of this madness.” — Omarosa Manigault Newman, a top aide in charge of Trump's outreach to African Americans

“I thought that he did do a lot of good during his four years. I think that his actions on January 6 and the lead-up to it, the way that he’s acted in the aftermath, and his continuation of pushing this lie that the election is stolen has made him wholly unfit to hold office every again.” — Sarah Matthews, one of Trump's deputy press secretaries, resigned after January 6th, 2021

“I think that Donald Trump is the most grave threat we will face to our democracy in our lifetime, and potentially in American history.” — Cassidy Hutchinson, Trump's final chief of staff’s aide

#uspol #politics #us politics #trump #american politics #2024 election #trump 2024 #president trump #america first

[mariacallous]

In the latest sign of his fascination with using nuclear weapons, former U.S. President Donald Trump told a crowd in January that one of the reasons he needed immunity was so that he couldn’t be indicted for using nuclear weapons on a city, like former President Harry Truman did to Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As Trump consolidates the Republican Party nomination, it is past time to ensure that no president can authorize an unnecessary or illegal nuclear attack.

It’s important to remember how worried top U.S. officials were three years ago. As Trump was attempting to overturn the election results, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley about whether he could prevent “an unstable president” from using nuclear weapons. For his part, Milley reportedly gathered senior officers to remind them not to act on orders unless he was involved, telling them, “no matter what you are told, you do the procedure. You do the process. And I’m part of that procedure.”

In fact, neither Pelosi nor Milley had any lawful authority to prevent a determined Trump from using nuclear weapons. The sole restriction on the president’s authority to order a nuclear attack is that members of the armed forces are obligated to refuse to carry out an order that violates the law of war. Among other things, officers must decline to conduct a nuclear strike that is not necessary to defeat an enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible or that would cause damage to civilians that is indiscriminate, inhumane, or disproportionate to the military objective.

In 2017, as Trump was improvising nuclear threats to North Korea, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command (Stratcom) made headlines by saying that he would not carry out an illegal launch order. Instead, Gen. John Hyten said he would inform a president that an order was illegal and then come up with “capabilities to respond to whatever the situation is, and that’s the way it works. It’s not that complicated.”

But it is complicated. The expected procedure is that a president considering nuclear use would convene a “decision conference” with senior advisors to consider options that are laid out in the football, a briefcase that follows the president everywhere. However, there is no logistical or legal requirement that a president convene a decision conference, engage with it in good faith, or take its advice seriously. In fact, the football can send a decision directly to the National Military Command Center (NMCC), which then generates an order and transmits it to U.S. forces.

One of Hyten’s predecessors, Gen. C. Robert Kehler, admitted to the Senate in 2017, “I do not know exactly” what would have happened if he had refused to carry out an illegal nuclear order. What if the president tried to circumvent that official? In practice, a coalition of officers or civilian officials could probably short-circuit the command and control process to obstruct an egregious order, but the system should not depend on insubordination.

It is also not clear how specific officials would interpret their obligations under the law of armed conflict. Who has standing to object to an order? What would they consider to be a legitimate military objective? Would they be able to evaluate nonnuclear options to determine that a nuclear weapon was the lowest effective level of force, as required? Exactly how would they calculate what number of incidental civilian deaths are proportionate to the military objective?

These questions can only have subjective answers and require more information than is available to single official. Existing practices to evaluate nuclear options may not be a good guide in a crisis. It is not sufficient for Stratcom to certify an option as legal in advance, because it may not be legal in the context that a president delivers it. Furthermore, precedent that derives from Hiroshima and Cold War plans to target civilians should not guide decisions today.

Before the election, President Joe Biden should put in place a defined, effective, rigorous, and legal procedure for preventing any president from issuing an illegal nuclear launch order.

He can start by establishing a structure for the decision conference. If a president accesses the football, the NMCC should automatically convene a conference among a specified set of principals, including the secretaries of state and defense, the chairman, the Stratcom commander, and the relevant regional combatant commander who can advise on conditions in an ongoing conflict. Each of these principals should be accompanied by their primary legal counsel, who is prepared to assess the legality of a nuclear order.

When the president transmits a decision to use nuclear weapons, each principal should submit a decision to certify or not to certify that the order complies with U.S. obligations under the law of armed conflict. If the attending principals certify the legality of a presidential order, it can then become a valid order and is transmitted to the NMCC. Just as the NMCC authenticates an order as being from a president, it should also require certification of legality before it transmits that order to launch crews.

Biden should think carefully about the rules of certification. No president should be able to rush or circumvent the process. Principals should have sufficient time to assess the operation, and certification should ideally be unanimous. In cases where an immediate launch is necessary, the legality should be plain, and principals should be able to certify the order immediately.

The president should also issue guidance to calibrate how government attorneys assess the legality of nuclear options, including what qualifies as a legitimate military objective that could justify nuclear use, how they should weigh incidental loss of life against military advantage, and how they determine when nuclear use can adequately discriminate between civilian and military objects. Over time, this kind of guidance could have an important effect on the options presented to a president.

As a first step, Biden should declare that the United States would use nuclear weapons only in extreme circumstances when there is no viable nonnuclear alternative for accomplishing vital military objectives. This would not only encourage planners to prioritize more credible conventional options, but also rule out the use of nuclear weapons to coerce or terrify enemies. The president could also state that the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would violate the law of armed conflict today and will never happen again.

Currently, the Defense Department’s law of war manual contains all of three sentences on the legality of nuclear operations. These presidential statements and guidance would help future officials interpret concepts such as necessity and discrimination and provide them with grounds to object to an unnecessary, unprovoked, or cruel launch order. Once in place, they would be difficult for an irresponsible president to walk back.

Lastly, the United States can add a step to the decision conference procedure where the president is prompted to consult with the leader of an allied country that would be directly affected by nuclear use, if at all possible. Biden already made this commitment to South Korea last year. Extending the idea to other allies can not only better inform the leaders of both countries, but could also help to build stronger, more literate, and more credible alliances.

The current procedure for authorizing nuclear use both fails to inform a responsible president and could fail to constrain an irresponsible one from ordering or even carrying out an unnecessary nuclear attack. Before he leaves office, Biden should confine this system to the past and establish one that is more rigorous and more effective. At the presidential inauguration in January 2025, either way, he’ll be glad he did.

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

🖕🤡

[gusty-wind]

WHEN DO THE ARRESTS, PROSECUTIONS & EXECUTIONS FOR PREMEDITATED MASS MURDER, GLOBAL GENOCIDE, TREASON FOR PROFIT, CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY…BEGIN!?!

-Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer

-Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna

-Pascal Soriot, CEO of Astra Zeneca

-Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson and Johnson

-Dr. Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation

-Klaus Schwab, President of the World Economic Forum

-Tedros Adhanhom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO

-Anthony Fauci

-Peter Daszak

-Francis Collins

-Bill Gates

-George Soros

-Barack Obama

-Hillary Clinton

-Bill Clinton

-Joe Biden

-John Podesta

-John Brennan

-James Comey

-Adam Schiff

-Peter Strzok

-Mark Zuckerberg

-Melinda Gates

-Nancy Pelosi

-Lindsey Graham

-Gen. Mark Milley

-Volodymyr Zelensky

-Henry Kissinger

-Ralph Baric

-Blackrock, Vanguard, Statestreet

-MN Gov. Tim Walz & Keith Ellison

And about100 other treasonous bastards in politics,7 Dem. Governors Grandma & Grandpa Killers, Judges, Prosecutors, Federal Agencies, Darpa, DOD, FDA, CDC, WHO, WEF, WEF Health Governors, United Nationals, *Liberal Main Stream Media*, *Big Tech*, Medical Field, Hospital CEOs, Pedowood/Pedoland/Pedo-world, Banks & Corporations, etc…..

NEVER EVER FORGET WHAT THEY ROBBED YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES OF…

THE DEMOCRATS CAN NOT WIN ANY ELECTION WITHOUT CENSORSHIP, LYING, RIGGING, STEALING, CHEATING AND DOING THE UNTHINKABLE…

WE WANT THESE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, ARRESTED, PROSECUTED AND GIVEN THE DEATH SENTENCE. UNLESS THEY PAY THE ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT, IT WILL ONLY BE REPEATED AND WORSE THE NEXT TIME!