The Implications of Trump's Meeting with Heagseth and the Generals According to a Guardian Article

SadaNews - A commentary published by the British newspaper The Guardian reviewed the details of the generals' meeting convened by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Heagseth.

The article confirmed that the meeting "was not intended to enhance national security or serve the country's priorities"; rather, it was "merely a spectacle" to showcase power in front of television screens to satisfy the desires of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Moira Donegan, a columnist for the newspaper, remarked that the generals appeared to be forced to watch "a silly show with no seriousness whatsoever."

It was evident, according to the article, that the generals were dissatisfied with the "show"; Trump and Heagseth repeatedly paused their speaking after making a joke or concluding a series of enthusiastic phrases glorifying military violence, waiting for applause and cheering, but were met with heavy silence each time.

According to the article, retired U.S. General Ben Hodges commented on the platform X after receiving the invitation: "July 1935... German generals were summoned to a surprise meeting and were told that their oath of loyalty to the constitution was no longer obligatory, and that they should instead swear loyalty to the Führer (Nazi leader Adolf Hitler)."

Heagseth sarcastically responded to the post, saying: "What a wonderful story, General," although some of Hodges's concerns seemed to be realized, according to the writer.

A Military that Pleases the President

Donegan pointed out in this regard that Heagseth repeatedly confirmed that the military should reflect an image that pleases the president. He criticized "the bearded" - most of whom are black soldiers, according to the article - and "overweight soldiers", stating: "No more diversity and inclusion offices, and no more nonsense."

According to the article, Heagseth is seeking to impose high physical standards for combat roles, which effectively means excluding women, despite denying that this is the goal.

Heagseth, the writer continues, went even further, announcing his intention to reduce or eliminate complaint mechanisms, inspectors, and reporting opportunities for harassment, procedures that have reduced sexual assault crimes over the past decade, most of which are against women.

He said: "No more trivial complaints, no more repeated complaints, no more anonymous complaints, and no more defamation". It is worth noting here, in the writer's opinion, that the Secretary of War had to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in 2020, although he insisted it was false.

The writer predicted that what Hodges feared might happen, and that the army would comply with these demands, thereby making the U.S. military primarily "for white men".

New Priorities

As for Trump, the writer continues, he spoke during his hour-long speech about American citizens as if they were state enemies, asserting that "America is under invasion from within".

Trump addressed more than 800 senior U.S. military leaders at the Quantico military base in Virginia, warning of what he described as an "internal enemy" threatening U.S. security.

According to SadaNews's follow-up to the report, Trump stated in his nearly hour-long speech: "We must reshape our military to be stronger, fiercer, and more disciplined than ever before," adding: "I told the Secretary of War that we must use some dangerous American cities as training sites, because we are in a state of internal war."

The article criticized Trump's speech, noting that he praised the U.S. military as the strongest and bravest in the world, speaking in a mocking and incoherent tone, criticizing Democrats and previous leaders, waiting for applause from the generals that never came.

Trump addressed the silent hall of generals, saying: "You are strong and fight enemies in military uniforms, but those (inside) do not wear any uniforms, which makes it difficult to deal with them."

The writer noted that Trump has increased the use of the National Guard and military within the U.S. - specifically in cities like Washington and Portland - to arrest undocumented immigrants and reduce crime, according to his claims, which warns of expanding the military's role beyond its traditional missions.

The writer concluded that the most prominent feature of the U.S. military lies in its continuous subordination to civilian authority, considering that this characteristic is often beneficial, but cautioned in this case against the risks of exploiting fiery rhetoric to direct troops towards goals far removed from national security.