The editors of the conservative Wall Street Journal are warning former President Donald Trump against carrying out a recently leaked scheme to purge the American military of senior officers.
In an editorial about Trump's nomination of Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead the United States Department of Defense, the editors urged Trump to act with caution when it comes to plans to shake up the military brass.
"The military isn’t Mr. Trump’s enemy, and a purge mentality will court political trouble and demoralize the ranks," the editorial board argued. "The draft executive order, leaked to the press, about forming a group of former officers to rule on the fitness of current generals would be a mistake that smacks of politicizing the officer corps."
The editorial also argued against taking out his anger against former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley on other military leaders.
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"Firing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs CQ Brown would also be counterproductive," they wrote. "Mr. Trump is still furious about former Chairman Mark Milley’s criticisms, and not without cause, but Mr. Trump promoted Gen. Milley. The better path is to look for officers who understand the current global dangers and have good ideas for what to do about it. Adm. Sam Paparo of the U.S. Indo-Pacific command is one."
The editors also expressed concern that Hegseth seems to be obsessed with purging any "woke" elements from the American military rather than focusing on more immediate and concrete problems.
"In the context of America’s security challenges, wokeness is a small concern," they argued.