Brown Co-Authors Foreign Affairs Broadside on Military Politicization 5 Months After Firing
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 3
Brown Co-Authors Foreign Affairs Broadside on Military Politicization 5 Months After Firing
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 3
Summary
Foreign Affairs published an essay Friday co-authored by retired Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. warning that using troops for politically contentious domestic missions risks the military’s core combat role.
Brown’s critique tracks Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s push to deploy the National Guard in blue cities, including Washington, while removing senior officers from the top ranks.
At Aspen last week, Brown said the purge was “not about merit” and that the officers being forced out were highly experienced, sharpening his public criticism after months of restraint.
Brown, whom Trump elevated in 2020 and Biden later made Joint Chiefs chairman, was fired in February after Hegseth had argued in 2024 that generals tied to “DEI” should be removed.