In an op-ed published over at Just Security this Monday, retired US Marine Col. David Lapan accused President Trump of "damaging our military" with his recent interventions in military justice cases involving US servicemembers convicted of war crimes.
This Friday, Trump cleared three service members who had been accused of or convicted of war crimes, directly refuting military leaders who sought to bring them to justice. As The New York Times points out, all three servicemembers have been praised by conservative lawmakers and commentators who have portrayed them as heroes unfairly maligned for actions taken during the complicated process of war.
According to Lapan, pardoning or "commuting the sentences of those convicted of war crimes, or halting judicial proceedings before they are completed, rightfully raises questions as to our continued respect for, and adherence to" the Law of War (or Armed Conflict).
"If the United States can no longer claim to use its own military and civilian courts to adjudicate allegations of war crimes — or other serious offenses — committed by U.S. servicemembers serving in other countries, those governments will likely seek to detain, try and imprison our men and women through their own criminal justice and penal systems," Lapan writes. "Significantly elevating the risk of such an outcome could have a devastating impact on our military and relations with foreign partners."
"While the president’s past and present intervention in war crimes cases poses the most serious threat to the military he professes to love and support," Lapan continued, "there is a litany of actions he has taken that can collectively hurt the military as an institution as well as those who serve in uniform, and their families. Despite the president’s repeated boasts about how well he treats and supports the military, many of his actions and directives risk causing short- and long-term harm."
Lapan then went on to list a "litany of actions Trump has taken that can collectively hurt the military as an institution," including, his "public disparagement of military leaders," and taking "personal credit for military actions."
"The military must deal with the “fog of war” in combat," Lapan wrote in closing. "It shouldn’t have to decipher unclear or confusing directives from the president at home. Unity of command and clarity are essential components of military leadership."
Read his full-oped piece here.
