National Security

Vindman: We can’t have Milley ‘acting without any oversight, exceeding his authority’

Published

1 year ago

September 15, 2021

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman railed against Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley for “exceeding his authority.” Vindman appeared on CNN Tuesday to suggest that the President replace Milley with someone else entirely. Meanwhile, Vindman himself advocated to impeach then President Trump in early 2019.

“There’s no question about the fact there needed to be a better check on Donald Trump,” Vindman told host Chris Cuomo. “That should have occurred, frankly, on two occasions which the Senate should have held him accountable, following impeachment, removed him from office. That did not happen. That’s the way the system is supposed to work. Ultimately, the American public held the president accountable and removed him from office by voting in a new president.”

However, upon reports that Milley kept military weapons away from Trump, Vindman sounded an alarm. “What we can’t have is we can’t have senior military officer acting without any oversight, exceeding his authorities, without civilian control,” Vindman said. “This is a sacrosanct principle. What happens in a different situation the chairman of the joint chiefs acts in what he believes is his best interests? We find ourselves in a slippery slope.”

Therefore, Vindman went on to call for Milley’s replacement. “Simply put, even if he did this for the right reasons, he did the wrong thing. Now he is toxic,” he said. “What’s clear to me is frankly Chairman Milley is tainted . . . There are better candidates to run the military. Folks that are less polarizing. I don’t think we need one that has so much baggage at the moment.”

This reported oversight comes from Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s book “Peril.” It will be released September 21st.

You can follow Jenny Goldsberry on Twitter @jennyjournalism.

Featured

Trump: Tanks to Ukraine could escalate to use of ‘NUKES’

Published

6 days ago

January 26, 2023

Alexander Carter

Former President Donald Trump stated bluntly on Truth Social, “FIRST COME THE TANKS, THEN COME THE NUKES. Get this crazy war ended, NOW. So easy to do!”

Trump was referring to the escalation of war in Ukraine. He, like many other commentators and lawmakers, are warning that the decision to continue sending weapons – and now tanks – could potentially lead to the use of “nuclear weapons.”

It’s mission creep and it’s dangerous, they say.

Why? Because Russian President Valdimir Putin has indicated in two different speeches that he would use nuclear weapons to defend Russia, if needed. Those warnings are not just bluster but a very real possibility.

And the escalation of war is visible.

Russia launched 55 missiles strikes across Ukraine Thursday, leaving 11 dead. The strikes come one day after the United States and Germany agreed to send tanks to Ukraine in an effort to aide the country. 47 of the 55 missiles were shot down according to Ukraine’s Air Force command.

Eleven lives were lost and another 11 were injured additionally leaving 35 buildings damaged in the wake of the attacks. According to The New York Times, Denys Shmyhal, said in a post on Telegram. “The main goal is energy facilities, providing Ukrainians with light and heat,” he said.

Ukraine is now demanding that they need F-16 fighter jets. In a post on twitter Ukrainian lawmaker, Oleksiy Goncharenko said, “Missiles again over Ukraine. We need F16.”

Morning. Missiles again over Ukraine. We need F16.

— Oleksiy Goncharenko (@GoncharenkoUa) January 26, 2023

The US has abstained from sending advanced jets in the chances that a volatile decision could foster more dangerous attacks like former President Trump’s post on Truth referred to. If the US did authorize the decision to lend Ukraine the F-16 jets Netherlands’ foreign minister, Wopke Hoekstra, would be willing to supply them. According to The New York Times, Hoekstra told Dutch lawmakers, “We are open-minded… There are no taboos.”

F-16 fighter jets are complex to work on, they are not the average aircraft that can be learned in a matter of weeks. It can take months for pilots to learn how to fly these birds. European and US officials have the concern that Ukrainian forces could potentially use the jets to fly into Russian airspace and launch attacks on Russian soil.

Western allies are trying to avoid such a provocation, because that could lead to nuclear warfare in reference to what Putin has said he would do to defend his country.