Three retired U.S. Army generals have warned of an insurgency or possibly even a civil war if the 2024 presidential election results are not accepted by sections of the military.
Retired Majors General Paul D. Eaton and Antonio M. Taguba have joined with retired Brigadier General Steven M. Anderson in urging today’s leaders to act to prevent such scenes, calling on today’s leaders ‘hui to “go to war” against an attempted coup.
In an editorial for The Washington Post Released Friday, former military leaders said they were “increasingly concerned” about the “potential for deadly chaos within our military, which would put all Americans at risk” in the aftermath of the election.
They warned of the potential for a “total break in the chain of command along partisan lines” and the risk of a “shadow government” led by a losing candidate who refuses to admit defeat, directly referring to to former President Donald Trump.
“In short: we are cold to the bone that a coup succeeds next time,” they wrote.
And they described four preventative measures that they believe should be taken:
- First, the leaders of the Capitol Riot should be held accountable. They called on the Justice Department, the House of Representatives select committee investigating January 6, and Congress to “be more urgent.”
- Second, the Pentagon “should immediately order” a military review of the Constitution and electoral integrity, as well as the laws of war and how to deal with an illegal order. “No soldier should say they didn’t know who to receive orders from in the worst case,” they wrote.
- The military’s actions should also involve finding and eliminating “potential mutineers” and stopping efforts to subvert the chain of command with propaganda.
- Finally, the generals advised the Defense Ministry to wage war on a possible insurgency or attempted coup after the 2024 presidential election “to identify weak points” and address them.
Explaining their concerns, the generals highlighted the fact that some veterans and active duty personnel were involved in the capture of the Capitol on January 6 and expressed concern that divisions in wider society would affect the military personnel.
“The potential for a complete break in the chain of command along partisan lines – from the top of the chain to the squad level – is great if another insurgency were to occur,” the generals wrote. “The idea of rogue units organizing themselves to support the ‘legitimate’ commander-in-chief cannot be ruled out.”
“Imagine competing commanders-in-chief – a newly re-elected Biden giving orders, against Trump (or some other Trumpian figure) giving orders at the head of a shadow government,” they continued. “Worse, imagine politicians at the state and federal levels illegally installing a losing presidential candidate. “
Trump continued to maintain that the 2020 presidential election suffered from serious electoral fraud and other irregularities that cost him victory – claims repeatedly rejected by courts and in post-election audits. Many of Trump’s Republican allies have also pushed these unsubstantiated claims.
The generals have warned that if the US military takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, in the event of a contested election loyalties would be divided and some could choose to follow the orders of the losing candidate who does not accept defeat.
“In such a scenario, it is not absurd to say that a military breakdown could lead to a civil war,” they wrote. Should such a situation arise, the generals warn that the enemies of the United States could take advantage of it.
Nonetheless, the generals seemed to hope that it could be avoided if Congress and the military “take decisive action now”.
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