Sign your name: We call for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley
U.S. Department of Defense
The Union Veterans Council calls for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley.
The President’s decision to deploy the U.S. military is wrong.
- President Trump has set a violent and misguided tone in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic murder.
- Our members deployed to Washington, D.C. do not feel prepared or willing to ‘dominate battlespaces’ in our nation’s capital against fellow American citizens, and should not be expected to.
- If American soldiers are ordered to deploy in any actions involving American citizens, we demand that they have prior and updated training on crowd control with the frontline units they are attached to.
The events in LaFayette park were an abuse of power that jeopardized the safety of those assembled there.
- The participation in the events on Monday night at LaFayette park by Secretary of Defense Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley was wrong and jeopardized American public trust, confidence, and respect for our military.
- The United States military exists to uphold our Constitutional rights and American freedoms, including the right to assemble in peaceful protest. The events in LaFayette Park on Monday night instead put those freedoms in jeopardy.
- Our military is not a prop to be used for photo ops and political statements.
- Tear gas is dangerous and should never be deployed against civilians on the home front.
Secretary Esper and Chairman Milley must resign—not as an act of shame, but as an example of leadership.
- Every service member has the duty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 90 to not follow unlawful orders and the obligation not to be complacent.
- Those in our highest positions of military leadership have failed in their responsibility to challenge violent and dangerous rhetoric utilized by President Trump.
- While Secretary Esper’s attempt at an apology was encouraging, it is too little and too late. The only way for Secretary Esper to truly call out this violent and misguided behavior is to stop down.
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The actions of Secretary of Defense Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley have jeopardized the American public trust, confidence, and respect for the brave men and women who volunteer to serve our great nation. Simply put, our military is not a prop for photo ops and political statements. This spectacle to deploy our troops created an unsafe environment and became an abuse of power.
While we were encouraged by Secretary Esper’s attempt at an apology, it’s too little, too late. Every service member has the duty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 90 to not follow unlawful orders and the obligation not to be complacent. We are calling on them to resign not as a point of shame, but as an example of leadership.
We have heard from our members deployed to Washington, D.C. that they do not feel prepared or willing to ‘dominate battlespaces’ in our nation’s capital against fellow American citizens. That’s why we also demand that the Defense Department publicly release clarity on the Rules of Engagement used during Title 32 federal activation and diligently log all orders from the chain of command to be made available for congressional oversight.
Lastly, we do not agree with the President’s decision to deploy the U.S. military. If American soldiers are ordered to deploy in any actions involving American citizens, we demand that they have prior and updated training on crowd control with the frontline units they are attached to.
President Trump has set a violent and misguided tone in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic murder. It is time for our leaders at every level to challenge and repudiate this dangerous rhetoric--and for those at the top of our military, who failed in this responsibility, to step down.