Civilian control, always

In the United States, a civilian president is commander-in-chief. This is a sacrocanct principle, one that has kept us from anti-democratic coups for over two centuries. Here, the Founders insisted, those who fight our wars would always answer to the people, which means to their duly elected leader. We therefore take with utmost seriousness reporting by the Washington Post’s Bob Woodward and Robert Costa that in the waning months of the Trump administration, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made secret calls to his Chinese counterpart to undermine the president. Fearing Trump might trigger a catastrophic war, Milley assured Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army that “we are not going to attack or conduct any kinetic operations against you.” According to Woodward and Costa, Milley went so far as to pledge he would inform his counterpart in the event of an impending U.S. strike: “If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise.”

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer. Usurping the authority of a president in this manner is an extreme violation of his sworn duty. Milley must explain, under oath.

Our condemnation is tempered by only one fact: Donald Trump, unique among American leaders, let it be known early and often that he had no respect for the laws of war. As a candidate, he swaggeringly promised to order the military to kill civilians, bring back torture and commit other unlawful acts. Asked what he would do if his orders were refused, Trump said: “Believe me .... If I say ‘Do it,’ they’re going to do it.”

In the last days of his administration, Trump even considered deploying the military to interfere in the election — the purest evidence imaginable that he was willing to use the military to devious, anti-democratic ends.

It is illegal to obey an illegal order. Short of that, it’s the military’s duty to stand, salute and do what they’re told.