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. There’s no role for the US military in determining the outcome of a US election. Zero General Mark Milley A disputed election could spark civil unrest in a country already on edge thanks to the coronavirus and months of protests over racial injustice. An illustration of those concerns came in Michigan on Thursday, with the announcement that 13 people had been arrested in alleged plots to kidnap the state’s governor and attack the state capitol building. The military is made up of active duty, National Guard and Reserves. In all but extreme cases, active-duty troops are used for war to protect the nation, not against American citizens on domestic soil. However the US military could intervene in extreme circumstances. There is an obscure law, the Insurrection Act, that theoretically could thrust the active-duty military into a police-like role. And governors have the ability to use the National Guard in state emergencies if needed. What happens if Trump refuses to concede defeat in the election? During civil unrest this year, governors used Guard troops to tamp down violence and provide security. In the last half-century, presidents have sent the military to Southern states to enforce school desegregation in the 1950s and 1960s, at times without gubernatorial consent. And troops were sent to Los Angeles when the California governor sought federal help during the 1992 riots. But it has not happened in connection with a presidential election in modern times. In June, Trump considered invoking the Insurrection Act to use active-duty forces to quell unrest following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Defence Secretary Mark Esper opposed using military troops for law enforcement. He argued publicly that the Insurrection Act should be invoked “only in the most urgent and dire of situations” and added: “we are not in one of those situations now”. It would be unprecedented for military leaders to refuse to follow a presidential order invoking the act. Democrats fear that Trump supporters will try to intimidate Democratic voters at polling places to scare them from voting. Trump added to those worries in the September 29 debate, urging his supporters “to go into the polls and watch very carefully because that’s what has to happen”. US election 2020: what if armed, far-right groups go to polls as Americans vote? Several state leaders, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, have raised the possibility of using Guard troops for security at the polls. Others used the Guard during primary elections. At times they wore civilian clothes and filled in for poll workers who were absent because of the Covid-19 pandemic. They also helped by cleaning polling places or directing traffic. But they must stay out of the polling process. A uniformed military presence at the polls, however, raises worries. Michele Flournoy, a Democrat who is considered a leading candidate to become the first female defence secretary if Joe Biden wins, said the Guard should be used only if police were overwhelmed. But she warned that using Guard troops at the polls could “be very intimidating to voters … I hope we don’t get there as a nation”. Bloomberg, Associated Press, Reuters