AFP

About a dozen former officials at the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) warned Tuesday of the dangers of deteriorating relations between politicians and the military in the United States, where political divisions are deepening. Eight former defense ministers and five former chiefs of staff also signed a statement entitled "Best Practices in Civil-Military Relations", which comes after years in which the Pentagon was embroiled in political intrigue, especially under the former president. "We are in an environment where relations between civilians and the military are very difficult," the statement's signatories said. Politically, they added, "military professionals face an unfavorable environment marked by divisions due to bipartisan antagonism that culminated in the first elections in more than a century when the peaceful transition of political power was disrupted and called into question." But they did not directly mention the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in which a number of current and former military personnel participated. Among the former defense ministers who signed the statement are Republican Bob Gates and Democrat Leon Panetta, as well as Jim Mattis and Mark Esper, who served as Secretary of Defense and were fired by former Republican President Donald Trump because they opposed him. "All of these factors could worsen in the future before they improve," the statement said. The statement, published by the "War on the Rocks" website, which specializes in defense affairs, did not mention any examples of civil-military disagreements. And the US Department of Defense faced accusations of obstructing the deployment of the National Guard to confront the attackers. Under Trump, the military has been asked to assist with a number of unconventional activities including building a border wall, guarding the border against illegal immigrants and helping urban police to deal with violent protests. In one incident, Trump, then Defense Secretary Mark Esper, and General Mark Miley, who is still the chief of staff, walked alongside him in front of the White House after the police cleared the street of protesters against the killing of the black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a policeman. Later, both of them apologized for their participation in what was considered publicity for the president. Under President Joe Biden, the military was forced to carry out a haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan that the top Pentagon leaders did not approve of. Biden faced widespread criticism last week after he delivered a political speech in which he attacked Trump supporters while two US Marines stood behind him. Officials emphasized that the military leadership must accept orders even when it disagrees with its opinion. But they said the orders must be legal. "Regardless of the operation, it is the responsibility of senior military and civilian leaders to ensure that any order they receive from the president is lawful," they said