Trump moves forward with total control over the military and warns soldiers tempted to disobey him

WashingtonA warning to those in the military and yet another sign of Donald Trump's insatiable thirst for revenge. The Pentagon has launched an investigation against war hero and Democratic Senator Mark Kelly that could lead to a court-martial. This stems from a video he recorded with other members of his party in which he reminded soldiers that they are not obligated to follow illegal orders. Last week, the video's release already provoked the ire of the US president, who labeled it "sedition, punishable by death." Without further delay, the Department of Defense announced the investigation against Kelly this Monday, warning that despite being a veteran, he could be recalled to active duty to face a court-martial. This action, beyond being a completely unusual gesture, is another step in the president's campaign to consolidate his total control over the military. To hijack a democracy, it is necessary to control three pillars: the intelligence agencies, the Department of Justice, and the military. Trump has already turned the Justice Department into his personal ministry for settling scores: He forced the indictments of some of his greatest political enemies, like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Charges that were dismissed yesterday by the judge due to the Republican's legal maneuver.

Trump has long been working to achieve the same thing regarding the military. One of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's first tasks upon taking office was to purge the Pentagon, filling vacancies with loyalists who simply follow orders. He has also fired senior legal officials after they expressed doubts about the legality of some of the new administration's policies.

The mysterious Call for applications at Quantico in October, The event, which brought together hundreds of high-ranking officers from around the world, was a clear warning in this direction: both Hegseth and Trump wanted to bring the military into their fold, although their speeches were met with a rather lukewarm reception. When Trump encouraged soldiers to use cities as "training grounds," no one applauded. Even the US president seemed uncomfortable with the seriousness of his audience, accustomed as he was to the cheers of his supporters.

Oath of Allegiance to the Constitution

As President of the United States, Trump is also the commander-in-chief of the military. However, ultimately, the oath of allegiance sworn by soldiers is enshrined in the Constitution, and therefore, the military has the right to refuse to obey presidential orders that contradict it. By normalizing the use of troops within domestic territory to resolve public order issues and employing them as a tool of punishment against Democratic strongholds, Trump is increasingly pushing the military toward this scenario: the possibility that one day military commanders will have to decide whether to follow the Republican's orders or what the Constitution dictates.

It was no coincidence that Trump floated the idea of using cities as training grounds in Quantico. It was a gauge of the willingness of the troops stationed there to follow him. In fact, last week a judge ruled that he must end the practice.the deployment of the National Guard in Washington Because it's illegal, but reservists continue to patrol the streets.

Now, the Pentagon's announcement of an investigation into Senator Kelly for pointing out a fact—that the military is not obligated to follow unconstitutional orders—is a disciplinary action against the rest of the soldiers and veterans, as well as a threat to veterans' right to free speech.

As a veteran Navy captain, Kelly is legally obligated to remain available for duty. It is on this basis that the Pentagon has said it could summon Kelly to appear before a military court. However, it remains unclear to what extent the investigation could succeed, since the Democrat merely pointed out something already covered in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.