Several active-duty military members have signed a public letter opposing the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate. While I agree in part with the message — that the mandate was a bad idea, with several unanticipated and undesirable second- and third-order effects — the messenger was inappropriate. This particular missive committed the cardinal sin of speaking outside the chain of command, with a military voice on a political subject, directly to the American people. Active-duty military members have no business participating in political theater like this. Political activities in uniform are proscribed. Whether we agree or disagree with the sentiment is immaterial.
Nor do they have any business debating political matters online. Social media is a sewer and, as such, attracts waste. It is regrettable but predictable that many Too Online military types, whom I will not link to here, took the debate to X (once Twitter), to continue the distasteful practice of airing the military’s dirty laundry in public for all to see — everyone from Chinese intelligence to soccer moms in suburban St. Louis. The military has long labored to cultivate an image of trustworthiness and competence, one that is respected both by our adversaries and by our citizens. Service members’ increased proclivity for acting like the Kardashians on TikTok and X undermines that image and suggests that the unpleasant foolishness of a few is representative of the military at large. Just last week, in what can only be considered a coup for Beijing, several national news stories reported on soldiers criticizing military service via TikTok. It is unclear how this advances U.S. national security or faith in our services.
Military leaders were once so religious in their apolitical outlook that officers refused even to vote. During World War II, General George C. Marshall’s popularity was such that presidential speculation was all but inevitable. When it manifested, Marshall terminated the rumors with prejudice. He even had the prudence to have Henry Stimson, the secretary of war and a political appointee, deliver the message:
I regret very much the recent references to General Marshall of a political nature. Such discussions cannot be otherwise than harmful to our war effort on which everything must be concentrated. I know they are embarrassing to General Marshall and furthermore, I feel that they make his present task more difficult. I can speak with authority in stating that there has been no discussion of this nature with General Marshall by anyone. Further, that he will never permit himself to be considered as a possible Presidential candidate. His training and ambitions are not political.
While it should be noted that General Eisenhower would become President Eisenhower just eight years later, that is an exception to what should be a standard for America’s officer corps to adhere to. Trust in the military is at historic lows. There is a simple formula for restoring it. When institutions stick to their knitting, stay out of the partisan fray, and become ruthless in their institutional focus, they tend to perform well, and trust follows. Too many in the military have succumbed to the temptation of politics, and the Pentagon’s reputation has followed.
This latest letter, just a small piece of a wider problem, is indicative of a cultural rot long in the making but turbocharged in recent years. Were this a letter by active-duty officers in support of pro-choice or climate-change movements, the odds are favorable that the Biden Pentagon would call it courageous and applaud the military’s new foray into politics. The decision to turn the Pentagon into a platform for several progressive political agendas, at the expense of the officer corps’ reputation for partisan independence, may well have incentivized the letter opposing the vaccine mandate. Perhaps seeing conservative troops bypass the chain of command to say conservative things is just the wakeup call this Pentagon needs.
When social media first emerged a decade ago, military leaders responded with optimism and leaned in with tight messages on recruiting and open channels in the chain of command. A decade later, it is clear that any benefit is dubious and overshadowed by cost. Social media is a liability from both a reputational and an informational/operational standpoint, and the Pentagon needs to crack down on it. A good start would be to beef up Defense Department Instruction 5400.17, which guides service members’ online engagements. It may well be the most disregarded regulation in history. More clarity is needed. A simple ban on the use of platforms like TikTok and X, with simple penalties such as fines or confinement, is the real kickstart that the military needs.