Donald Trump has never wavered on his support for military might, and U.S. security.
Now 40 of the highest ranking, retired military leaders, from every branch have released an open letter of endorsement.
Although their endorsement for Donald Trump is extraordinarily strong, perhaps the most compelling part of this letter is their assessment of the security of the nation under eight years of an Obama administration.
It is sobering, and not a little frightening, to see the nation through their eyes.
“The 2016 election affords the American people an urgently needed opportunity to make a long-overdue course correction in our national security posture and policy. As retired senior leaders of America’s military, we believe that such a change can only be made by someone who has not been deeply involved with, and substantially responsible for, the hollowing out of our military and the burgeoning threats facing our country around the world. For this reason, we support Donald Trump’s candidacy to be our next Commander-in-Chief.
For the past eight years, America’s armed forces have been subjected to a series of ill- considered and debilitating budget cuts, policy choices and combat operations that have left the superb men and women in uniform less capable of performing their vital missions in the future than we require them to be.
Simultaneously, enemies of this country have been emboldened, sensing weakness and irresolution in Washington and opportunities for aggression at our expense and that of other freedom-loving nations.
In our professional judgment, the combined effect is potentially extremely perilous. That is especially the case if our government persists in the practices that have brought us to this present pass.
For this reason, we support Donald Trump and his commitment to rebuild our military, to secure our borders, to defeat our Islamic supremacist adversaries and restore law and order domestically. We urge our fellow Americans to do the same.”
For generations, we have been a military family. I know what it is like to be young, away from home and armed with the responsibility of guarding the nation.
I’ve watched as another generation stepped into combat boot, the military weaken underneath his feet. Our family has witnessed what these leaders are saying, as our troop’s missions were called off due to lack of funding.
Whether or not, the Obama administration has intentionally neutered our military, stripped it of resources, and turned it into a social experiment to intentionally deplete it. History will judge.
In the meantime, it is imperative that we heed the warning and recommendations of these fine leaders.
