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Not a single authoritarian leader or would-be dictator has ever assembled the entire senior officer corps of their armed forces in one room to demean them as failures and humiliate them for their slovenly personal appearance, while degrading whole classes serving in the military branches as inferior and unworthy.

The former president is accustomed to walking into events with energetic crowds cheering to music. "I've never entered a room so quiet before," he stated when addressing the nation's highest-ranking military leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico. "No laughing. Don't know if you're allowed to do that." He tried to elicit some amusement, an vintage entertainment technique to energize a unresponsive audience. "You know what? Just have a good time."

His syllogism clearly demonstrated his mindset of victimhood and approach of revenge. Should you do not show deference to him, he is deeply offended. Your failure to worship him deserves to be punished. Your slight of his authority dooms you to destruction.

Military Discipline vs. Partisan Expectations

Trump fails to understand that the silence of the commanders during his extraordinary address to them showcased their highest duty. Their composure displayed loyalty to maintain their pledge to the nation's founding document. By their stillness they presented themselves as models for the remainder of the officer corps and the service members.

They are not devoted to Trump or any personal following, but to his legal role.

They were being used as a background for a political rally, but they were resistant to serving as partisan players.

Fundamental Lack of Comprehension

Trump's failure to understand their steadfastness in the face of his provocations revealed his lack of understanding not only of the armed forces but the presidency under the legal system. As he took offense at their stoney silence his criticism made clear that he viewed them simply as his pawns.

The president had arrived on an pressing task for them to execute. His purpose to tell the armed forces leadership they were to be his obedient agents for the greatest change of defense policy since the "anti-terrorism campaign" – an unprecedented conflict to be waged against his perceived political opponents at home in contravention of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which forbids the internal use of the American armed forces as a law enforcement agency.

Background and Executive Actions

Every high-ranking generals had been gathered for the historic event at the Marine Corps Base Quantico on the directive of the secretary of defense. They had no inkling for what momentous occasion they were being called. They wouldn't speculate that they were being assembled to be a captive audience for a self-referential ego-driven presentation attempting to rehabilitate his image and establish his authority.

However the commanders could have obtained more than a clue that they were being assembled for the most recent episode of political drama by reading the presidential directive Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization, an "organization" that lacks formal structure. This was followed included a security directive citing multiple incidents as pretexts: "This political violence is not a collection of isolated events and does not emerge organically.

Philosophical Basis

According to the directive, a new "government approach" would be enacted against an ideology of "opposition to America, opposition to capitalism, and opposition to Christianity; support for the removal of the federal government; radical views on migration, ethnicity, and sex; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and ethics."

These concepts were not a portrayal of an philosophy so much as a mixture of political catchphrases. Should any belief system expressed it was an inchoate authoritarianism based on a repressive impulse that conjured up an all-purpose opponent called "the opposition".

Defense Secretary's Presentation

The dramatic display at Quantico began with the defense secretary moving back and forth on the platform. He acted as a motivational speaker as a drill sergeant with a publication to hawk – and a warm-up act for the headliner.

The former national guard officer said he had been "deemed an radical"; he was identified as a possible "security risk" by fellow officers. Despite numerous accounts of his alcoholism, he informed journalists in an interview: "I never had a drinking problem," but then allegedly promised a legislator that he would "avoid alcohol while I have this role."

Policy Modifications and Contentious Statements

As a media personality, the speaker had been a prominent advocate for forgiving or granting clemency to military personnel charged or found guilty of military offenses. He described them as "fighters" rather than "war criminals".

Currently, in his address, he announced he was clearing away "the debris". He encouraged relaxing rules aimed at preventing forbidden violence within the armed forces. He declared the "overhauling" of the oversight and informant complaint process, which would undermine safeguards and shield aggressive or careless offenders from responsibility.

He planned to, he said, impose selective measures of "unisex" or "male level" fitness requirements for combat roles, stating: "If that means no females qualify for some combat jobs, so be it."

Confrontational Language and Military Response

The speaker strutted in front of the military leaders, shouting obscenities – "Fafo", or vulgar expression. "Eliminate heritage observances, diversity initiatives, cross-dressing individuals. No more environmental focus. No more division, distraction or identity issues. No more debris. As I stated before and will say again, we are finished with that shit."

The generals sat without reaction at his crude language that could be considered under the military legal system as a violation against indecent language that "fails to the detriment of proper conduct and discipline".

Physical Standards and Personal Observations

According to the defense chief, it was the out-of-shape generals who required to exercise following his example. "It's totally unacceptable to see overweight generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the globe. It appears unprofessional," he said. "No more beardos."

Final Remarks and Political Background

At no point did the speaker mention "the Russian Federation" or "the Ukrainian nation". He made not the slightest reference to Russia's huge missile attacks striking Ukraine, Russia's drones over European nations, the strained relations over US uncertainty within the international coalition, or express anything that might be construed as a military consideration.

After his threatening speech, the defense secretary stepped aside for Donald Trump. Trump displayed his customary disrespect for the military by provoking them with an series of partisan barbs to which they remained completely unresponsive.

In the middle of his stream of consciousness, he introduced his new mission for the armed forces against the "enemy from within", with large American urban areas as the "training grounds … the ones that are governed by the radical-left Democrats … And this is going to be a significant role for some of the people in this room. That's a war, too. It's combat from within." Silence.