U.S. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, 20th Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, poses for a command portrait in the Army portrait studio at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Sept. 26, 2019. (U.S. Army photo by Monica King)

By Gary Raynaldo   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON   DC  –  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said he and others in uniform take an oath to the U.S. Constitution and not to any president or individual.  Gen. Milley made the comments at a press conference Wednesday at the Pentagon in Washington D.C.  after some accused him of being overly political in the final days of the Trump administration.  Excerpts from forthcoming books about the end of the Trump administration report that Milley and other political leaders sought to prevent Trump from using U.S. troops in an attempt to hold onto power.

“I’m not going to comment on what’s in any of those books. Let me just say this, though: I always personally provided the best military professional advice to President Trump previously, to President Biden or any other president. I always provide that best military advice to the secretary of defense, whomever is the secretary of defense, and I do that for the National Security Council, as well. I want everyone to know, I want America to know that the United States military is an apolitical institution, we were then and we are now. And our oath is to the Constitution, not to any individual at all. And the military did not and will not and should not ever get involved in domestic politics. We don’t arbitrate elections. That’s the job of the judiciary, and the legislature, and the American people.”

-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley

Defense Secretary Austin Defends  Milley Against “Political” Labels 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley testify before the House Appropriations Committee-Defense on the Fiscal 2022 Department of Defense Budget in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room, Washington, D.C., May 27, 2021. (DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase)

Gen. Milley and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attended Wednesday’s press briefing together during which they also discussed  the current situation in Afghanistan as American troops depart.  Defense Secretary Austin quickly defended the integrity of Milley during the press conference, saying Milley does not have a “political bone” in his body. 

“I’ve known the chairman for a long time. We’ve fought together. We’ve served a couple of times in the — in the same unit, so I — I’m not guessing at his character. He doesn’t have a political bone in his body. And I — I think — you know, I — I clearly have tremendous faith and confidence in the chairman. What I want to make sure we do is main — maintain our focus on — on the threats ahead, maintain our focus on our pacing challenge with China and — and all the things that we’re trying to do to make sure that this force is ready to meet the challenges of the future.”

-Defense Secretary Austin