The outcry should have started with CQ pBrown and Franchetti. Just a shameful lack of courage in US military leadership.

The danger increases

They better be careful, the people might start their own “Purge”.

Did more people in his cabinet need a free house to live in?

The attack on expertise continues. Doing Putin’s work for him.

So how did Stalin's purges work out for the Soviet Union? Asking for a friend ...

this is what authoritarian people do.. purge the best for teh worst.. you know the ones that suck.. Like whiskeyPete...

Every revolution is followed by a purge of the true believers.

Maybe all the fired can start a new military and overthrow the current government?

We all know where that is headed. Trump expects to have the entire military leadership composed of MAGAts in 3 more years. Then he dares anyone to remove him from the White House. At what point does the military see it and do something about our domestic enemy?

This is getting really expensive. I guarantee you that we're not going to enjoy paying this bill.👽

Leaving "yes" men willing to occupy cities. Another American institution perverted for the regime.

Obviously two good people - he only wants THUGS!

Well hell, you wouldn't want competent leadership, would you?

Looking back at history, Stalin conducted a purge of military officers (albeit in a more terminal fashion). It gutted the Red Army's leadership and effectiveness right at the time they needed it the most. Not a good move.

really came around to bite him with the doctors

I was thinking this exact thing

It led to an army so shitty that the Nazis killed ten million of them before they finally beat back an enemy they should have whipped easily.

This is going to end really badly.

Obviously he's making sure no one will refuse orders to deploy the military during protests and elections. We're all just sitting here watching him prepare and hoping it somehow fails when he does it, which is a terrible strategy for fighting fascism.

is it for Xi or Putin?

It’s great we’re getting rid of those so called experienced experts. I just hired the fry cook at the local Arby’s to do my companies taxes next year. I’m sure a new perspective will lead to more accurate taxes and extra write-offs for me, and he only charged me 1/4 of what my accountant did.

It's about loyalty.

Loyalty to Trümp, NOT the constitution.

Yes, that was what I meant.

SICKENING!!

I’m asking myself At what point does this all break/ what’s the tipping point? Other than writing/calling current occupants of Congress …… I don’t have time to be a full on activist due to caring commitments.

Who made the decision for Hegseth to carry out?

You don't get to know that

And it will continue until the military is filled with complicit sycophants. Just setting the stage for the coup.

That's 60 years of true Command capability out the fucking window. Hegshit firing men and women he can never compete with.

Exactly. Imagine serving your country with honor and excellence for more than three decades and then being fired by Hegseth, the least qualified and least worthy Secretary of Defense in the history of our country.

He was a military reject!!!

They have to rid themselves of all people that may try to stop the GOP from taking complete control. Its up to the people now, all law enforcement and military are pretty much in the control of the dictator now, best of luck.

Those tanks never left DC after the parade right? Just asking for a friend trying to survive.

I didn't know better, I'd swear we lived in Hungary or Russia.

I wonder if those who remain (and aren’t appointments by Trump/Hegeseth staying to be the adult voice in the room or living in fear or…?). I wish these people would speak out so the American people would know what is happening from their perspective.

Sycophants need only apply

Were they worried about a military coup? They worried about a military coup.

Not just people who say things that upset [that man]. People tasked with collecting, analyzing, and acting on intelligence of threats - foreign and domestic. Gee, what threats is this regime trying to hide? (I know - "All of 'em, Katie!")

A drunken idiot like Hegseth, with basically zero experience beyond dish washing, is calling the shots. And that’s below the rapist, felon, treasonous, cowardly imbecile trump.

I wonder if Drumpf is going to get the host of a Fox kiddie show at this point. They must have run out of "news" hosts by now.

No doubt to be replaced by an ass-kissing incompetent.

We're becoming a shell of a country. My only consoling thought...the world is watching...and preparing their counter-attacks. The war against TRUMP is not the war against AMERICA...and they will band together in their own defense to curtail Trump's influence & power. Their might is growing.

Does this have anything to do with action now in the southern hemisphere ?

Immediately after Trump met with Putin, suddenly a rash of firings in the military and intelligence community, as well as attacks and threats on former officials who have been critical of Trump and otherwise know where the bodies are buried. Gibbs rules say there are no such things as coincidences.

First thing Dictators do, start purging!

Dislike in the extreme…

What’s it going to take for veterans to say “enough of this BS”?

What’s it gonna take for people to stop putting classic courage on a pedestal. Disease of me infecting every sector and it’s all about self now.

iirc, per exit polls, 65% of vets who voted, voted for the orange haired fascist, not the black lady so until vets apologize for their catastrophic stupidity, they can go fuck themselves

The cult is stronger than family or God.

I learned that this past week. Impenetrable. Steel wall of flawed logic and conspiracy theories.

They vote overwhelmingly MAGA. All hope is lost.

if you're waiting for that moment, you're going to wait a long time

Rebellions are built on hope.

be mindful you don't build your hope on delusion. I feel like everyone's out there banking on a mental image from movies like 'The Siege' where it ultimately proves impossible to bend the military against the Constitution. if you're banking on that, you're out to lunch

That was a good movie, tho. Willis’ performance was subtle.

No, not out to lunch. Just quoting some Rogue One.

Yes, I know the line. Do you recall anyone putting their hope in stormtroopers?

Argentina 1985

A majority of veterans voted for this. (And a majority of active duty military…)

They won’t. You have too much faith in troops having a mind of their own.

Veterans are still overwhelmingly supporting captain bone spurs, so I’m going to say they’re never going to abandon Trump. The military has long been a right wing indoctrination organization. Fox News 24/7 at every base for 2 decades does that.

Gutting the military will make us more secure as a nation. LOL

Honestly.... if I were a flag officer with enough years to retire, I'd be gone. I would not serve this president and his vengeful, incompetent administration.

I know and worked with Jamie Sands - He’s a good man and a good officer.

Ominous.

Watch the replacements See if they are christian nationalists

America will not be able to fight a war without intelligent people at the top rather than political lackys

If not authoritarian, why authoritarian-shaped?

Let’s just sit here…. You fucking MAGA traitors

this also (and in some cases perhaps unfairly) casts doubt on anybody chosen to replace the purge victims

and that it’s being done by THIS a-hole is absolutely sickening🤢

Replacing the pro with simplistic yes sayers, will turn you into whatever shit show you now call the russian army.

Did Putin give Hegseth a list?

😡

bsky.app/profile/john...

They wouldn’t give a personal loyalty pledge to the mad king probably.

What was the reason for fire, I'd rather not search it up too Lazy, especially sense it's 10 in morning.

None given. Vibes, I guess.

Well then, I guess it happens. It just seems suspicious tho to fire them out of nowhere, like a cover-up. I like to see 2 side of a story, bc now an days people just assume. An make up some story, that sounds accurate but it turns out it probably isn't.

Makes me wonder which adversaries will take advantage of our self-imposed weakness (these firings of military leadership and intelligence community). Frightening and depressing.

Jeeezus

Guess what happens when you elect a dictator... Germans did it in the 30'

There will be no one left to defend our democracy.

So the top commander of the SEALS gets booted out by a guy who wants "nothing to get in the way" of Trump's plans. Very comforting.

Unbelievable.

We still are in the just firing phase of the Opus Dei Taco takeover. Let's hope it doesn't get into full scale TACO STALIN mode.

This is just a slow motion coup. They took the Capitol, they took the court. They've funded their private leader-loyal para military. They're not ever giving up power without force. I wish more people understood what is coming.

Would that help?

It might initiate planning...at least, dems still think "wait till midterms"

What the actually fudge

We need to know immediately if they were fired because they refused to follow an unlawful order.

Trump administration destroying the military and the State Department and making friends with Putin. What could go wrong?

Clearing the way for loyalists

Not one Republican officeholder willing to speak out against this. Utter collapse of any principle. I have to say I expected a few more Romneys or Liz Cheneys to step up.

No courage.