U.S. war escalation, Pentagon turmoil: How will enlisted personnel react?

August 31 — Yesterday the Washington Post reported that military leaders have warned Pentagon head Pete Hegseth against extending war operations against Iran. They say it risks U.S. military positions in other parts of the globe. Yet as the New York Times reported later on Aug. 30, U.S. forces bombed Larak island in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran retaliated by launching missiles at U.S. warplanes stationed in the Kingdom of Jordan.

The question is how the U.S. population and military personnel will react if the White House orders an escalation of its aggression against Iran.

Despite its weakened military position and the unpopularity of the war among the U.S. population, the administration is risking a much wider war. It has yet to effectively explain the goals of the war or a timetable for its conclusion. As a result, polls show that more than 60% of the U.S. population opposes the war.

As the 5,000 personnel aboard the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier prepare to go ashore in Thailand for their first port call in over 250 days, more evidence is showing that the enlisted personnel in the U.S. Armed Forces (USAF) are questioning the actions that the MAGA regime and the top military officers have ordered.

The sailors and Marines aboard the USS Lincoln and other warships have expressed — mainly through the open anger of their relatives at a “Town Hall” meeting recorded and publicized by MS NOW — their outrage at the exhausting conditions, including deprivation of food and hygienic supplies, which led to attempted suicides.

Will the events awaken political awareness?

Will this anger lead to a change in political consciousness that causes a break between the sailors and Marines on one side and the government and Pentagon leadership on the other? The professional military — that the Pentagon has developed since the end of conscription in 1973 — is going through a combination of conflicts that raise new challenges. The path to resistance is still unmapped.

Military experts, opposition politicians (mostly Democrats) and media analysts have criticized the White House and Pentagon for underestimating the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ability to withstand the Feb. 28 sneak attack and retaliate. The usually pro-militarist establishment media — like the Washington Post and the New York Times — have faulted the administration for launching a losing war.

No one, including military personnel, is unaware that the U.S. opened the war by bombing and killing over 160 young school pupils and their teachers and murdering Iran’s religious and political leaders. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones that put many of the U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf emirates and monarchies out of service.

Iran’s missiles drove out U.S. troops and hundreds of their dependents who have been seeking permanent housing since. One admiral told relatives of personnel on the USS Lincoln that the reason the military was unable to deliver supplies to the carrier was that the logistics hub in Bahrain, on the Persian Gulf, had been made inoperable.

Early signs of military resistance

The following signs of potential military resistance have appeared:

Personnel aboard the USS Lincoln have attempted suicide under the crushing pressure of exhausting work and no time off, along with a shortage of food. Earlier aboard the USS Gerald Ford, a fire destroyed many bunks and toilets were clogged. There were indications that personnel might have sabotaged the toilets.

Both these aircraft carriers and the ships in their battle fleet have been moved out of the combat zone in West Asia. The USS Ford has been back in its home port of Norfolk, Virginia, since May.

Activist and antiwar veteran organizations — for example, Veterans For Peace — have sponsored billboards making active duty personnel aware that they have the right and the duty to disobey orders to commit war crimes. This has led to more personnel applying to legally remove themselves from the military.

Mike Prysner, who runs a hotline at the Center for Conscience and War, told MS NOW that the CCW normally has about 50 personnel applying for Conscientious Objector status in an entire year. He said that since the war started six months ago, the CCW has assisted 140 applicants. That’s nearly six times the rate as before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

A coalition of  antiwar veteran organizations, Veterans Against Fascism, formed a strong contingent in a July 4 demonstration in Philadelphia. VAF reached out to active duty military personnel and reservists who, with the older veterans, made a dramatic impact on the protest.

The MAGA regime is also showing its fear of these signs of resistance by trying to censor those media that have reported on the poor conditions on the ships and other problems in the military. Earlier in August, the Pentagon fired three journalists from the military-focused newspaper, Stars and Stripes, after they had reported on the USS Lincoln events.

What is significant is that the journalists then sued the Pentagon to regain their jobs and on Aug. 28 had won a reprieve for a week — and a chance to keep on fighting.

Intra-Pentagon conflict

Hegseth, in charge of the Pentagon despite his lack of both military and managerial experience, has been purging many of the highest officers in the U.S. Armed Forces. His firings have halved the number at the highest ranks from 10 to five. He has fired or prevented promotions of recently promoted generals, while giving no reasons for these firings.

Hegseth’s purges have resulted in eliminating Black and women officers and any officers associated with what the MAGA administration calls “woke.” Since nearly 20% of military personnel are women and nearly 50% are from communities of color, one can only imagine the impact on the enlisted ranks who might have considered remaining in the military as a lifetime career.

There should be no illusion that the opposition to the MAGA leadership among the generals and admirals constitutes opposition to U.S. militarism. These military officers simply have a different vision from the MAGA cabal of how U.S. imperialism should fight wars and carry out diplomacy. Nevertheless, the internal battle can open a path to resistance among the military rank and file — especially if the administration expands the war and forces more U.S. youth to become fodder for the Pentagon death machine.

 

Catalinotto is author of “Turn the Guns Around: Mutinies, Soldier Revolts and Revolutions,” World View Forum, 2017.