Some of you might be wondering why the military appeared reticent, if not resistant, to proactively supporting Capitol Police on Wednesday.

Here’s my take on what might be driving the military response. 1/9 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/trump-protests-washington-guard-military/2021/01/07/c5299b56-510e-11eb-b2e8-3339e73d9da2_story.html

To start, we need to consider three things:

First, the George Floyd protests in June taught the military: (1) Trump will use the military’s coercive power to repress peaceful protesters; (2) the military can become an unwitting conspirator in his schemes. 2/9

Second, the protests in Portland in the summer showed people can confuse the military and federal agents (It didn’t help that agents were wearing camo); and the military’s reputation would be tarnished by domestic policing, esp. if things get messy. 3/9

Third, Trump discussed invoking martial law after the election. Chairman Milley tried to shut the door on that by stating the military had no role in the election, as did the Army Secretary and Chief of Staff, as well as 10 former secretaries of defense. 4/9

The military’s take-away from all these events: the best way to keep out of politics is by keeping a low profile, staying silent and doing nothing. Stay as far as way as possible from anything politically controversial. 5/9

Here’s the problem: inaction and silence are not (always) apolitical. By not responding assertively on Wednesday, especially given what happened in June in Lafayette Square, the military looked like it was SELECTIVELY deciding who to protect. 6/9

To some Americans, the military likely looked unprepared and potentially complicit. The military becomes more politicized, not less. 7/9

The underlying problem, I argue here, is w/ the current approach to military professionalism. The military favors a separation of spheres, sealing itself from all political thinking and engagement—a “see no evil, hear no evil” approach to politics. 8/9 https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/full/10.1162/isec_a_00374

The best way for military leaders to keep the military out of politics is to acknowledge that the military IS a political actor and operates in a political context. Sometimes keeping out of controversy and debate requires action. It always requires political awareness. 9/9