US military has no plan to referee a contested election, General Mark Milley says
- Spectre of US election chaos raises questions about military’s role
- Pentagon’s top general assured the military remained apolitical
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff insisted the US military would have no role in resolving a disputed election, amid speculation the Pentagon could be asked to intervene in sparring over the outcome of the November 3 contest.
If there’s a contested election, “it’ll be handled appropriately by the courts and by the US Congress,” said General Mark Milley in an interview with NPR set to air on Monday. “There’s no role for the US military in determining the outcome of a US election. Zero.”
The comments appear to be the firmest yet by Milley to reject a military role refereeing a contested election, amid concerns the armed forces could be dragged into a dispute over the results.
“We, the US military, we are sworn to obey the lawful orders of our civilian leadership,” he said. “And we want to ensure that there is always civilian leadership, civilian control of the military, and we will obey the lawful orders of civilian control of the military.”
Milley’s comments echo a recent statement he made to Congress that the US military was committed to staying apolitical.
Fears about a possible role for the military have been stoked in part by US President Donald Trump’s qualified comments about whether he’ll accept the results and commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses.