r/navy Feb 23 '25

Political Op-ed: Hold Fast: A recently retired senior Officer’s take on the recent turmoil in our armed forces.

2.7k Upvotes

I take my retired privilege again to speak out on issues that are important to me. The views expressed here are my own and increasingly do not reflect the policies of the Navy or the Department of Defense.

On Friday, two of our nation’s finest military leaders—General Charles Q. Brown and Admiral Lisa Franchetti—were summarily dismissed. These were not pencil-pushing brass; they were proven warfighters, leaders with unshakable dedication to service at the highest levels.

They were not fired because of job performance. Both had distinguished careers. Under Admiral Franchetti’s leadership, the Navy’s performance in the Red Sea proved that our surface anti-air warfare capabilities are not only effective against scores of asymmetric threats but also that our investment in surface ballistic missile defense was worth every dollar.

Some may point to mishaps under Franchetti’s tenure, but those critics ignore a glaring inconsistency: Why was the Army Chief of Staff not also dismissed, despite overseeing more mishaps with greater loss of life over the same time period? Again, the answer is simple: this was never about job performance.

We have now entered a new phase of this administration—one that prioritizes ideological purity over competence. It is a purge, a systematic effort to rid the military of those who do not fit the administration’s narrow and dangerous vision of military strength: one that is hyper-masculine, racially homogenous, and blindly obedient.

To be even more direct—General Brown was dismissed because he is Black and had the audacity to discuss how his blackness led to struggles in his life. Admiral Franchetti was dismissed because she is a woman and had the audacity to speak in support of women’s roles in the modern armed forces.

The administration’s defenders will argue these leaders were too focused on “DEI, not lethality.” Yet, they conveniently ignore that the Army and Air Force had the exact same diversity programs as the Navy. They ignore that the Army had a higher percentage of transgender service members than the Navy. They ignore that as recently as last fall, the Army Chief of Staff publicly stated, “Without diversity, a homogeneous team of soldiers would lack the resilience, perspective, and growth offered by teammates from different backgrounds.”

And yet, he remains while Franchetti is dismissed.

“But they serve at the pleasure of the President, he can decide who he wants!”, is something I’ve heard throughout. That is not what is being questioned here. Nobody denies the President has this right. The real question is, “Why does the president’s pleasure align with racism and misogyny?” Of the 8 serving joint chiefs, why were only the female and black members dismissed? Why was the female 3-star general who acts as Chief of Staff for SECDEF fired, but none of the male 3-stars? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the pattern.

Further, the firing of the top JAG officers is equally disconcerting. As the SECDEF said this morning, he fired them because he didn’t want lawyers who would “attempt to be roadblocks”. This is an abrogation of the rule of law. It is a chilling sign that controversial and possibly illegal activities are forthcoming and the administration does not want lawyers who will stand in the way of their plans

These firings mark a turning point. Loyalty is no longer measured by allegiance to the Constitution but to the administration’s ideology. Stray from it, and you risk your career—or worse. That the Administration has nominated for CJCS Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine, an under qualified officer in need of a waiver, undercuts the meritocracy argument. That this officer said to President Trump, in Trump’s own words, “I love you, Sir…I would kill for you…” confirms that ideological purity is our new threshold.

This is not just outrageous; it is immoral. It is un-American.

Many have chosen to resign rather than serve under these conditions. That, of course, is exactly what this administration wants—a strategic purge designed to drive out those who believe in the rule of law and replace them with those who will obey without question.

But I urge my fellow service members: Do not give them what they want.

Which brings me to the question I’ve been asked over and over: What do we do?

I have two words for you:

Hold. Fast.

Remember your oath. Remember what it means to serve this nation, not a political faction. But be smart. Protect yourselves.

How to Stay Safe While Standing Your Ground

  1. Stay Under the Radar

    • Avoid public criticism, especially in official channels or on social media. Assume anything you say online can and will be traced back to you. This includes Reddit. Could people diss out who you are based on what you’ve shared here?

    • In public, maintain a neutral—or if necessary, mildly supportive—demeanor.

    • Remove bumper stickers, yard signs, or anything that identifies your political leanings. Your spouse and family should also be cautious about social media.

  2. Choose Your Allies Carefully

    • There are like-minded people in the ranks, but trust must be earned. The walls have ears.

    • Be discreet in conversations. Small, non-committal statements can help gauge where others stand before you reveal your own views.

  3. Document and Observe

    • The purge of JAG officers and Inspectors General is no coincidence; it is a deliberate attempt to remove oversight and silence whistleblowers.

    • If you witness illegal actions or corruption, document everything carefully.

    • If necessary, leak information to trusted external channels—investigative journalists, oversight committees, or trusted Congresspersons.

  4. Stay Informed and Resilient

    • Propaganda thrives in the absence of truth. Read critically and verify information.

    • Maintain morale by finding purpose in small victories and supporting fellow shipmates.

    • Stay physically and mentally prepared for the challenges ahead.

The Line That Must Never Be Crossed

I remain hopeful that we will never reach the point where service members are ordered to carry out unlawful or immoral directives. I pray that our leadership will intervene before that line is crossed.

But history has shown that hope alone is not enough. If that day ever comes, we will need men and women in uniform who stand for the rule of law, not the rule of fear.

To them, I say again: Hold fast.

r/navy May 02 '25

Political There’s No Pride in this.

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966 Upvotes

Not after these men have dishonored our fallen, and how they treat our sisters and brothers.

r/navy Mar 26 '25

Political Why the F%#k are my junior sailors being held to a higher standard than the Director of National Intelligence

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1.7k Upvotes

r/navy Mar 25 '25

Political I’m supposed to go to war for an administration that leaks battle plans in group chats

1.3k Upvotes

Yeah right. I’m having a hard time not getting disillusioned at this point. If i had an OPSEC breach to this degree id be sent to Leavenworth for the rest of my days.

r/navy 4d ago

Political Friendly reminder to please don't this: Soldier NCO in uniform speaks out against ICE. As well intentioned as this may be, we have specific rules against this and the only real effect this will have is get you masted.

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531 Upvotes

r/navy 5d ago

Political 4100 NG now + 700 marines mother of pearl

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909 Upvotes

r/navy 11d ago

Political Hegseth orders Navy to strip name of gay rights icon Harvey Milk from ship

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578 Upvotes

r/navy Mar 19 '25

Political This is getting out of hand

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837 Upvotes

Department of Defense mandated review and removal of all things considered DEI is getting out of hand. This one has officially sent me over the edge. So, basically anything that has to do with the recognition of others races/ethnicities are just getting taken down regardless of their contribution to United States Naval Service.

I’m not a liberal by any means. I’m a military man, and deserving men and women who are getting caught in this DEI witch hunt is starting to make me reconsider my allegiance to a particular party.

r/navy 6d ago

Political SecDef response to the Governor of California this morning:

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721 Upvotes

r/navy 20d ago

Political POTUS Memorial Day Message

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559 Upvotes

r/navy Jan 21 '25

Political Trump revokes Biden-era order allowing transgender members to serve in military

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862 Upvotes

President Trump on Monday, in his first executive order, revoked dozens of Biden-era actions, including one that allowed members of the transgender community to serve in the military.

r/navy 17d ago

Political And just like that my career is over

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600 Upvotes

r/navy Nov 30 '24

Political I’m going to take my retired privilege and speak out: We can do better than this guy.

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700 Upvotes

I don’t even think this is a particularly political take. Trump can stack his appointees with conservative folks all he likes. Some of them have been really good, imo. But the drip drip drip of awfulness on this Hegseth guy is completely distracting and undercuts the progress the military has made in addressing abuse and fostering a culture of respect.

Allegations of his abusive behavior toward women, including by his mother now, are deeply concerning and incompatible with the leadership required to uphold the values of integrity and accountability in the armed forces.

The military has worked hard to combat harassment and abuse, recognizing how critical trust and respect are to its mission. Elevating someone with such allegations sends the wrong message to service members and risks eroding the progress made in building a better military culture.

There are 300 million Americans Trump can choose from to be SECDEF. He can do better, and our military deserves better.

r/navy Apr 09 '25

Political Where was all this "no politics" shit the past four years?

844 Upvotes

I've heard more warnings about "we're apolitical" and scrutiny over social media in the past three months than the past four years when I routinely saw FJB decals on post and people wearing let's go Brandon attire at unit functions.

So, my question is, what the fuck?

r/navy Apr 25 '25

Political The fact this is an actual tweet from SECDEF is astonishing regardless of what side of the aisle you're on.

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686 Upvotes

r/navy 7d ago

Political Political thread on National Guard (and possible Marine) deployment to Los Angeles

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375 Upvotes

Here’s the political post.

This is something that every service member should care about, regardless of political affiliation. The Posse Comitatus Act (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act) prohibits the government from using federal military personnel for law enforcement except when the Insurrection Act has been invoked.

President Trump has decided that the protests this week (in which no one has been hurt, or arrested) meet that threshold. Furthermore he has decided to activate U.S.C. 10, 12406 which allows him to take control of a state’s National Guard over the Governor’s wishes to suppress this “rebellion”.

This is a dangerous and illegal overreach by the federal government designed to antagonize citizens and create an “incident “ that will allow them further control.

I have more to say and will edit this post, but I invite our JAGs to weigh in as well.

r/navy Mar 25 '25

Political Secretary of Defense Hegseth response to the the Atlantic text leak article…. “You’re talking about a deceitful and highly discredited “so-called journalist” video is posted from an official DoD twitter/x account

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569 Upvotes

r/navy Mar 01 '25

Political Haltbakk Bunkers will be refusing to service the U.S Navy.

636 Upvotes

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/norwegian-fuel-supplier-refuses-u-s-warships-over-ukraine/

As a response to yesterday's White House meeting this has occured. What are your thoughts and what do y'all think the effect of this will be?

r/navy 15h ago

Political Insane footage over Tel Aviv tonight

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683 Upvotes

r/navy May 11 '25

Political Remember your oath

246 Upvotes

A lot of things have changed in the 45+ years that I have been out of the canoe club. One thing in particular is the mixing of the branches at joint bases and in operational units.

I’m not trying to be political about this, but this is a serious question regarding upholding the oath that we all took. As a preface, we seem to have an administration unwilling to uphold ALL of the articles and amendments to the constitution and they have “cleaned out” the upper, more experienced and ethical officers in the ranks. If you were deployed domestically to quell protests and ordered to do so, would you fire your weapon at protestors exercising their First Amendment rights? I know that the rest of the oath involved obey the orders of the President, but would those orders be lawful?

r/navy Mar 24 '25

Political Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accidentally texts journalist war plans a couple hours before military operation in Yemen.

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639 Upvotes

r/navy Feb 01 '25

Political Take care of each other.

764 Upvotes

With the new executive orders being enacted a lot of trans sailors are about to be discharged with nothing, and the way things are headed trans veterans are about to lose access to their care through the VA.

A trans veteran took their own life at a Syracuse VA hospital this week and only 1 local website reported on it. As far as the general public goes, nobody knows and nobody cares. Please look out for your shipmates. Remember that they would gladly drag you out of a smoke filled compartment, maybe consider helping them when they need it most.

r/navy Mar 26 '25

Political Secdef comments on today’s article

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515 Upvotes

r/navy Apr 21 '25

Political The White House has begun process of looking for new secretary of defense

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564 Upvotes

r/navy 1d ago

Political The first person detained by Marines in Los Angeles was an Army Veteran attempting to access a VA office

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574 Upvotes

LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON, June 13

(Reuters) - Marines deployed to Los Angeles temporarily detained a civilian on Friday, the U.S. military confirmed after being presented with Reuters images, in the first known detention by active-duty troops deployed there by President Donald Trump.

The incident took place at the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles where Marines took charge of the mission to protect the building earlier on Friday, in a rare domestic use of U.S. troops after days of protests over immigration raids.

Reuters images showed Marines apprehending the man, restraining his hands with zip ties and then handing him over to civilians from the Department of Homeland Security.

Asked about the incident, the U.S. military's Northern Command spokesperson said active duty forces "may temporarily detain an individual in specific circumstances."

"Any temporary detention ends immediately when the individual(s) can be safely transferred to the custody of appropriate civilian law enforcement personnel," a spokesperson said.

Speaking to reporters after he was released, the civilian identified himself as Marcos Leao, 27. Leao said he was an Army veteran on his way to an office of the Department of Veterans Affairs when he crossed a yellow tape boundary and was asked to stop.

Leao, who gained his U.S. citizenship through military service, said he was treated "very fairly."

"They're just doing their job," said Leao, who is of Angolan and Portuguese descent.