Retired General George Casey said on Sunday that President Trump's recent Pentagon fire was “very unstable” on the military.
“It's very unstable – it's a lot going on in the country and a lot going on overseas,” Casey told ABC News' Martha Raddazs “this week”
“When removing so many senior leaders without any particular justification… [and] Giving a valid cause creates great uncertainty in the rank. And that's not good for the military at such a difficult time,” Casey added.
Air Force General CQ Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, was fired on Friday along with five other senior defense officials and top military lawyers.
The move spurred rage and vigilance from Democrats and former national security leaders, advising it marked a dangerous polarization of the military in an era of major geopolitical unrest.
“Donald Trump's quest for power puts our military at risk,” said Jack Reed (Dr.I.), a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in an opinion piece. For the Washington Post.
“We cannot overstate our national security impact. A clear message has been sent to military leaders. The failure to demonstrate personal and political loyalty to Trump has been a decades long. It could bring retribution even after honorable service,” Reed said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses defended the expulsion of military officials on Sunday
“There's civilian control of the military. There's nothing unprecedented about this,” Hegses said in “Fox News Sunday.”
“The president deserves his key national security and military advisory team. There are a lot of presidents who have made changes, from FDR to Eisenhower, HW Bush and Barack Obama,” he added.
“This reflects the president wants the right people around him to implement the national security approach we want to take.”
With Casey's appearance on “This Week,” the retired general said the move to fire military officials “should give a better explanation.”
“We need to explain better. And – and again, I honestly don't think they need them. [want to] If you change direction, they can change policies rather than people,” Casey continued.
Oka reached out to the Department of Defense and the White House for comments.
