December 27, 2018

A day after President Trump’s surprise visit to American forces in Iraq and Germany, questions persisted about whether he had jeopardized the political neutrality of the U.S. military by leveling partisan attacks and signing red “Make America Great Again” hats for the troops.

The president’s behavior — out of step with that of his predecessors — highlighted the struggle Pentagon leaders face in navigating an avowedly apolitical military through a hyperpartisan era in U.S. politics, particularly under a commander in chief unafraid of breaking with established norms. 

The struggle is likely to intensify with the beginning of the 2020 presidential campaign and the departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who sought to prevent the military from becoming a pawn in the nation’s tribal politics, at times unsuccessfully, before his resignation last week.

Read more:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trumps-visit-to-iraq-prompts-concerns-about-politicization-of-military/2018/12/27/42aa20fe-0a13-11e9-892d-3373d7422f60_story.html?utm_term=.7b713a4154fe