Ex-top general warns against military being used for domestic political aims

A former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was fired in 2025 amid Trump-era shakeups, criticizes deploying the military for politically charged domestic missions, arguing it diverts troops from their primary combat role and undermines civilian institutions. In a Foreign Affairs op-ed co-authored with Peter Feaver and Andrew Kragie, Brown cautions against military solutions to urban crime and emphasizes patriotic service over political agendas, while noting Trump-era expansions of National Guard deployments and related Pentagon firings.