Militarised America under Donald Trump

Yet another military man has joined President Trump’s inner circle, adding fuel to growing suspicion that he is ”militarizing” the U.S government. The appointment of marine general John Kelly as the White House Chief of Staff means there are now three generals in Trump’s immediate circle, including Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R.McMaster, who replaced another general Michael Flynn. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is from the business/corporate world, must be feeling the odd man out. Given Trump’s fondness for the military, it may not be long before he looks for another military mind for the post – General David Petraeus’ name has already made the rounds once.
Although Trump has made known his liking for the military, including all the bells and whistles he’d love to have around him – a weaponized military parade going down Pennsylvania Avenue would thrill him no end — the entry of uniformed men into the portals of governance is not all that unusual in Washington DC. Americans love military brass. Even President Obama tapped into the military, drafting retired four-star Marine Gen. Jim Jones to be his National Security Advisor in his first term, and then picking retired four-star Army Gen. Eric Shinseki for secretary of veterans’ affairs. George Bush chose Gen.Colin Powell as his Secretary of State and going further back Ronald Reagan picked Gen. Alexander Haig.

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In fact, it is because of fears of military infiltration into the civilian sphere of governance, the U.S has a rule that bans military officers from serving in key cabinet positions such as Defense Secretary for a period of seven years after they leave active duty in the military. But Congress has powers to waive the rule (as it did with Gen Mattis and Gen. George Marshall), and Presidents who are set on getting military personnel into their inner circle persuade lawmakers to do their bidding. There’s a reason why there are able to do so easily.
For all the jaw-jaw about civilian primacy over the military, American voters heartily embrace men in uniform — after they have shed their brass outfit. No democratic country in the world has had as many men from the services become head of government as the United States. While Europe has produced an occasional de Gaulle and Franco, an astonishing 31 of the 44 (almost three-fourths) American Presidents – forget cabinet associates — have served in the military in one capacity or another. Twelve of them were generals.
In fact, being a general is second only to being a lawyer in terms of the most common occupation of those who become U.S President. And most generals have preferred the Republican Party.
Of the 12 generals who became president, eight were of Republican or allied persuasion: William Harrison, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses Grant, Rutherford Hayes, James Garfield, Chester Arthur, Benjamin Harrison and Dwight Eisenhower. Only three generals elected to the presidency were Democrats: Andrew Jackson, Franklin Pierce and Andrew Johnson. George Washington, the Founding Father, belonged to neither party.
The last Democratic president to have been a general was Andrew Johnson, who lost the presidency in 1869. Since that year, there have been six Republican presidents who were former generals. This should give Generals Kelly, Mattis, and McMaster something to think about in 2020, especially if Donald Trump bombs badly.
On the flip side though, most generals came to into the White House riding on victory in war. George Washington won the War of Independence; Andrew Jackson was elected after defeating the British at the Battle of New Orleans. Zachary Taylor came into office after defeating Mexico in the U.S.-Mexican War. Ulysses Grant became President soon after forcing three Confederate armies to surrender. In the 20th century, Eisenhower, the only five-star general other than Washington to occupy the White House, won the presidency soon after the defeat of Germany in World War II.
But almost every post World War II U.S President has put in some military service, with the exception of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump. Even George Bush Jr. — okay, hold the sniggers — served as a first lieutenant, performing guard duty as an F-102 pilot and logging a modest 336 flight hours.
Not that wearing an uniform in a previous avatar made U.S Presidents the best or the most successful commander-in-chief. Neither Woodrow Wilson, President during World War One, nor Franklin Roosevelt, President during World War Two, served in the military. India finest military hour came under the Prime Ministership of a woman who probably had never picked up a weapon in her life.
In fact, none of India’s 14 Prime Ministers and 14 Presidents (who is technically the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces) served in the military. In contrast, four of Pakistan’s 11 Presidents were from the military, and they lost every war they fought, besides squandering half the country.
In short, there is nothing to show that military men have administrative nous, but then, there’s no record of them doing worse either