this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2025
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The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Even top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting.

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[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 124 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Its also ridiculously irresponsible.

There is a lot of discussion to be had over the actual value of a general in modern warfare (where individual soldiers have tactical value and so much decision making happens at the company or even squad level). But no discussion is required to say what a ridiculously juicy target "every high ranking military official" is and the massive damage to morale and organization that would ensue.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 89 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yeah that’s a lot of HVT in one area.

I wouldn’t be super shocked if this turns into loyalty pledge-a-palooza.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 41 points 4 days ago (1 children)

That's my guess as well. "Swear a blood oath to King Trump personally or you're fired right now".

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm skeptical of that.

This will be hundreds of "military men". Yes, the vast majority are pencil pushers who are in worse shape than the average divorced dad "trying to get back out there". Even if they are bringing every single chud they can find, they are still going to be the "weaker" group. And chuds hate feeling weak.

If it were just the inevitable loyalty oaths, I would expect that to happen in more isolated groups. And while it is always possible that they could batch the generals into the room to kiss the skidmarked ring, that still feels like a risk when they might not get the photo op they want at the end.

My money is on "planning how to secede from the United Nations". Aka "planning to go to war with basically all of NATO and a bunch of Global South countries who want revenge". Whether that goes anywhere is a different discussion, but "all of our generals made some great plans" is a talking point they would want.

[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

When Saddam took power he called a meeting of the party leadership and publicly arrested those he suspected of "treason". He even had the event recorded.

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yeah but Drunky Smurf is a total coward

[–] Tuuktuuk@piefed.ee 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Vance and Hegseth arent, though...

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Couch fucker is 100% a coward.

hegseth thinks he is a strong man but also seems competent enough to know that is not something you ever test unless you have to.

But yeah. This obviously has lots of parallels to every other dictator taking power because... it is a dictator taking power. But people very much underestimate just how big the US military is. I am under no illusions that the Thank You For Your Service crowd are going to do anything other than follow orders and send shots downrange into suburbia, but there are still a LOT of them and the generals are the most political of the bunch (in the sense they are aggressively "apolitical" outside of advancing their own careers)

Its similar to how, in a lot of ways, Russia probably actually is one of the least likely nuclear powers to just end it all on a whim. The short version being that they (at least in the past) require two high ranking officials to turn the proverbial keys. And the people who hold the other keys are the ones most likely to lead a coup against putin.

[–] Tuuktuuk@piefed.ee 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

the people who hold the other keys are the ones most likely to lead a coup against putin.

They are also ones that will absolutely, unavoidably, get informed if Putin wants to launch nuclear weapons. It's unlikely they will agree, so if Putin ever is to ask them to use their "keys", he will show himself as an utmost danger to their lives, and they will therefore organize Putin to die within the next 15 minutes or so. And if he manages to hide in a bunker, he will be completely isolated there and will de facto no longer be the POTRF.
Someone else will then take over.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 25 points 4 days ago

"Ich schwöre bei Gott diesen heiligen Eid, daß ich dem Führer des Deutschen Reiches und Volkes, Adolf Hitler, dem Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht unbedingten Gehorsam leisten und als tapferer Soldat bereit sein will, jederzeit für diesen Eid mein Leben einzusetzen.“

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

What, with the current administration, is not ridiculously irresponsible?

[–] Birch@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

They have not yet decided to ban speed limits and seat belts, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that