Top US general Mark Milley takes apparent jab at Trump as he retires
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
General Mark Milley inspects the troops, during a farewell tribute in his honour, in Arlington, Virginia.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
WASHINGTON - Top US general Mark Milley retired on Friday after a four-year tenure, saying in a speech that US troops take an oath to the Constitution and not a “wannabe dictator”, an apparent swipe at former president Donald Trump.
Gen Milley was hailed by President Joe Biden as a warrior who served in war zones from Afghanistan and Iraq to Panama and Haiti.
Gen Milley’s tenure included the killing of Islamic State head Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in 2019 and providing military assistance to Ukraine’s defence against the invasion by Russia in February 2022.
But it also included the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago and a rocky relationship with Trump.
Gen Milley said that troops take an oath to a constitution and not a “wannabe dictator”, in an apparent reference to Trump that drew an audible reaction from some in the audience.
Trump has been criminally charged with trying to overturn Mr Biden’s 2020 election victory.
“We don’t take an oath to a king or queen or a tyrant or dictator. We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution,” said Gen Milley, during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near Washington.
Calling Gen Milley “unflinching in the face of danger,” Mr Biden said he “once ran across a bridge booby-trapped with mines to stop two battle tanks evacuating wounded troops from driving across it.”
“Mark, your partnership has been invaluable to me,” Mr Biden said.
Gen Milley handed over command to Air Force chief General Charles Q. Brown in an event featuring marching bands and a red-coated fife-and-drum corps.
Gen Brown is only the second Black officer to become chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, after Colin Powell two decades ago.
Mr Biden said Gen Milley served in war zones as part of his long military service and had a “chest full of medals to show for it.”
In his remarks, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin recalled a time during the Iraq war when he and Gen Milley were serving in Baghdad and their vehicle was damaged when it was hit by an improvised explosive device while en route to a hospital to see a wounded soldier.
“‘Has this happened to you before?‘“ Mr Austin said he asked Gen Milley. “And he said, oh yeah, I’ve been blown up about five times now.’“
Rocky relationship
Gen Milley took the reins in 2019 after being nominated by Trump, but soon found himself having to balance the need to maintain his relationship with him without appearing to be political.
In 2020, he publicly apologised for joining Trump as he walked from the White House to a nearby church for a photo opportunity after authorities cleared the way of protesters using tear gas and rubber bullets.
Gen Milley said on Wednesday he would take measures to protect his family after Trump suggested he had colluded with China in an act he said would have once warranted death.
Gen Brown is a self-described introvert whose public persona contrasts sharply with the outgoing Gen Milley, a loquacious Boston native.
Gen Brown told the audience that his goal will be to deter aggression and “fight when called upon.” He said the US military “must focus on modernizing” with new concepts and approaches.
The promotion of Gen Brown, a former fighter pilot with experience in the Pacific, means Black Americans will hold the top two positions at the Pentagon for the first time - a major milestone for an institution that is diverse in its lower ranks but largely white and male at the top.
Mr Biden appointed Mr Austin to become the first Black US secretary of defence, the top civilian position at the Pentagon.
