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What His Assault on the U.S. Military Means for America

By MAX BOOT

Foreign Affairs
October 15, 2025

It’s easy to lose sight of how radical the MAGA military agenda is when focusing on each action in isolation. Only by glancing at the entirety of what Trump and Hegseth have wrought can one see what a far-reaching assault they are mounting on the apolitical professionalism that has made the U.S. armed forces one of the most admired institutions in American society—and one of the most emulated and envied militaries around the world. Indeed, the attempt by Trump and Hegseth to roll back military professionalism and to politicize the armed forces is not just a question of degrading military morale and effectiveness, hurting recruiting and retention, and distracting the armed forces from their primary mission (such as countering Russian and Chinese aggression), although those are all real concerns. What Trump and Hegseth are doing also represents a threat to democracy—and a profound test for service members, who do not swear a personal loyalty oath to the president but swear to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”