The military is in dire straits because of the Trump administration's mismanagement, warned Paul Rieckhoff, Iraq War veteran and host of "Independent Americans," on MS NOW Wednesday.
The Pentagon is finally returning the U.S.S. Lincoln home after weeks of uninterrupted service in the Iran war that led to horrific conditions for troops — but two of its escort destroyers have been ordered to stay behind, infuriating families of the sailors who remain stuck in limbo.
"Trump and [Pete] Hegseth are breaking the military because they're breaking the trust. People don't trust them anymore," said Rieckhoff. It's impossible, he said, to trust them "on whether or not they're going to start a war, whether they're going to tell the truth about the war, or whether they're going to honor what they promised would be a deployment."
These deployments are ruining lives, said Rieckhoff, with every round of extensions leading to "a round of divorces ... a round of families that are broken apart. You get a round of husbands and wives and kids who are gutted, who are disappointed ... it's devastating to the family fabric."
Beyond that, he continued, this crash of morale is a grave threat to military readiness and national security.
"This kills recruiting," said Rieckhoff. "It kills retention. 18-year-olds and their parents are watching this show right now saying, you know what? Maybe you shouldn't join the Navy right now. Maybe you should pick another option. And that is cascading across our society."
Fewer people are going to want to join the military, he added, "because you can't trust the leadership. You can't trust them to be transparent on casualty numbers, and you can't trust them to be transparent on when and how a ship is going to come home."
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