Trump vs. Pentagon

Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, and the Pentagon, the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, have had a relationship which can be described as nothing short of Good, Bad and Ugly. Presidency and military are the highest powers of the USA, and a "clash of the giants" might be unavoidable as a civil conflict is brewing with the re-election of Trump as President. "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" – George Santayana reflected after World War 1 – the best teacher is history and it may repeat itself, therefore it is logical to review the past.

The Good

Trump has not been all conflicted with the Pentagon. A complete disobedience between  the Pentagon and Trump would direct America on the Highway to Hell. Trump has cooperated with the Pentagon’s ideas and decisions before. 

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2018 elevated the fundings and budget of the military which was promoted and pushed by Trump, primarily to counter Russia and China. Trump wanted to further modernise and upgrade their artillery and infrastructure.

The “America First” policy focussed on the prioritisation of the USA over other nations, cutting back foreign aid and increasing national and homeland development and security, particularly in the Middle East and bringing troops back home.

The Bad

Although Trump has not always disagreed with the Pentagon, some conflicts pop-up. Trump's military strategies have not always supported the Pentagon

The relationship of Trump and senior military leaders has often turned sour; instances where personnel have been publicly criticised or fired due to Trump and the leader’s ideology not aligning. General Jim Mattis, who served as Trump's Secretary of Defence, resigned in protest over Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, signalling a rift between military leadership and Trump’s foreign policy.

During the 2020 protests of the death of George Floyd, Trump considered deploying military troops towards the suppression of the crowd, making the military directly involved in domestic crime, which caused outrage among Pentagon officials — Mark Esper and other leaders publicly opposed this.

The Ugly

Situations have sometimes gone too far and too South. Trump has been known to dismiss employees and shuffle them including senior figures like Defence Secretary Mark Esper and James Mattis. These stunts were decisions attempting to remove powers that disagree with Trump’s decisions.

Trump also caused unrest in Foreign Military Policy with the withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal and the controversial Soleimani strike in January 2020 which put the Pentagon in an awkward position. 

The January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters was another moment of strain. Trump's denial to acknowledge the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory created a toxic environment within the military, and his call for the military caused trouble with the broader political system.

Trump’s stance with the Pentagon can aptly be described as unsteady and it must become cooperative with the re-election of Trump in his second term. Their disagreements can lead America’s trajectory in the world stance to an all time low. If this problem cannot be fixed with cooperation, and it comes to the "clash of the giants", then “God Save America”.