‘Trump junta’: third retired general named to cabinet, raising concerns about military influence in new administration
Homeland Security pick James Kelly would join retired general James Mattis as defence secretary and retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn as national security adviser
He’s not yet finished picking, but US president-elect Donald Trump already has named three retired generals to top posts, raising questions about why there will be so much military brass in cabinet-level jobs.
Trump on Wednesday named retired four-star US Marine general John Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees several critical areas including immigration and border control – signature issues for Trump.
One more three- or four-star general and we can start referring to a Trump junta rather than a Trump administration
While the men bring broad depth of knowledge to the cabinet and considerable expertise, some worry their numbers threaten a cornerstone of American democracy – that civilians control the military and the government.
“If you have a significant number of [former military members] in your cabinet, you begin to bring into some question whether you actually are maintaining full civil control of a nation,” said David Barno, a retired general who once led the US war effort in Afghanistan.
Yet another retired general, David Petraeus, has been floated as a possible pick for secretary of state, and retired admiral Michael Rogers has been rumoured to be in the running for director of national intelligence.