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What changes will Trump’s (Trump) second term bring to the United States and the world? It has now become a focus of global attention. What is certain at present is that he will make two unprecedented moves: abolishing the U.S. Department of Education and conducting a major restructuring of the U.S. Department of Defense, with a large number of generals being dismissed. Currently, fear and anxiety have permeated the Pentagon…
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Last Wednesday, after the election results were confirmed, U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin quickly issued a memorandum to all personnel stating that the Pentagon would undergo a “calm, orderly, and professional transition to the incoming Trump administration.” He also emphasized that the military would follow all “lawful orders” from civilian leadership.
This speech indicates that Trump will peacefully take over the Department of Defense, but it also suggests that a conflict between him and the military is imminent, signaling the upcoming major restructuring of the Department of Defense.
The one who previously announced that the military would only execute lawful orders from President Trump was General Mark Milley, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2021. That year, The Washington Post revealed a shocking scandal in which he secretly communicated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), informing them of U.S. military operational movements.
Milley had two phone calls with Li Zuocheng, then Chief of the Joint Staff of the CCP Central Military Commission, in which he assured the CCP that the U.S. would not launch any military attacks against them. One of the calls took place on October 30, 2020, four days before the election. At that time, the CCP believed that the U.S. was preparing to attack due to Trump’s increasingly aggressive comments towards the CCP.
In his call, Milley directly told Li Zuocheng, “General Li, I want to assure you that the U.S. government is stable, everything will be okay, we are not going to attack or conduct any military operations against you.” He even guaranteed to alert the CCP in case the U.S. would launch an attack and emphasized the relationship they had established through secret channels.
Another call occurred on January 8, 2021, just two days after the “Capitol Hill incident.”
Milley hid these two secretly conducted calls from President Trump. Why? According to the book “Danger,” published in 2021, Milley believed that if the CCP felt threatened by an unpredictable, retaliatory U.S. president, they might react angrily, so he took matters into his own hands. On the same day as the call with Li Zuocheng, he also called a Navy admiral at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, suggesting to postpone military exercises, and the admiral complied.
Milley even did something unthinkable: On January 8, 2021, he summoned senior officers to review the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, saying that only the president could order the use of nuclear weapons — but the key was that Milley also had to be involved. Reports say that he stared each officer in the eye, asking them to confirm that they understood and agreed with his opinion, believing it was an “oath.”
After the exposure of this event, Trump criticized Milley for committing treason. However, Milley and a group of senior Department of Defense officials were smug. On September 29, 2023, during Milley’s retirement speech, he claimed to strive to defend the Constitution, including defending against domestic enemies. He vowed never to be loyal to “those who aspire to be dictators” — a reference widely understood.
However, this general, who swore to defend the United States, led a shocking Afghan withdrawal failure in August 2021, with Trump calling the Biden administration’s actions “like a fool’s errand.”
During this election, Trump openly demanded: “Every senior officer involved in the Afghan withdrawal must resign and place your resignation letter on my desk at noon on my inauguration day (January 20, 2025)!”
So, will General Milley and his colleagues be held accountable by Trump after the fact and brought back for trial? Let’s wait and see.
Furthermore, more U.S. generals are concerned that Trump will conduct a major purge of the Pentagon. Current and former U.S. officials have stated that Trump will prioritize loyalty in his second term and remove military officials and career civil servants who he deems disloyal.
“To be frank, he will destroy the Department of Defense. He will intervene and fire generals who uphold the Constitution,” said Democratic Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Another reason for Trump to dismiss generals will be to clean up the “awakening” culture in the military. The primary target would be the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Brown. During his campaign, Trump vowed to remove “woke” generals from the military.
The term “woke” has been given by the left to focus on racial and social issues, but the extremes it has taken in recent years, assessing personnel based not on capability but characteristics like transgender identity and minority ethnicity, is reminiscent of socialist practices. Can such generals lead effectively? Will those truly capable but marginalized individuals be comfortable?
“I will fire them. You can’t wake up the military,” Trump said. During his previous term, he banned transgender individuals from serving in the military. In this election, he released campaign ads portraying them as weak and vowed, “We will not have a woke military!”
Two individuals close to the Trump transition team mentioned that Brown has long been a target of Republican lawmakers, accusing the Pentagon of conducting a social experiment in diversity that undermines traditional military missions. Although there is no definitive plan to retain or dismiss Brown, officials at all levels of the Pentagon’s command system are under evaluation.
Another source familiar with the Trump transition team’s thinking indicated that they believe “CQ Brown will become an obstacle in various aspects (of the new government), which is not worthwhile.”
Due to loyalty issues, Trump may also replace a large number of senior officers.
According to the Associated Press, following a tumultuous first term, Trump may appoint a loyalist to head the Pentagon, with potential candidates including Florida Representative Mike Waltz and a series of former government loyalists, including retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was once considered, but Trump stated on social media that Pompeo would not join the new administration.
Many Chinese people were disappointed that the most anti-communist and pro-Taiwan Secretary of State, Pompeo, was not reemployed. I am also disappointed, but I hope this does not affect his chief China advisor, Yu Maochun, in exercising his anti-CCP capabilities.
In Trump’s new administration, a group of generals may be dismissed for insubordination. For example, Trump has stated that the U.S. military could play a vital role in many of his policy priorities, from using the National Guard and possibly active-duty forces to assist in large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants to deploying them to quell domestic unrest. These proposals have shocked military experts, leading to the addition of a clause in the message sent to the military by outgoing Secretary of Defense Austin, stipulating compliance with “all lawful orders.”
However, some experts warn that as the President, the highest military leader of the U.S. armed forces, and the Commander-in-Chief of the three services, has broad discretion in interpreting laws, the U.S. military cannot disobey orders they believe to be morally wrong.
“The public generally misunderstands that the military can choose not to obey immoral orders. It is not the case,” said Kori Schake, a conservative think tank at the American Enterprise Institute. She also cautioned that during Trump’s second term, as he enforces controversial policies, senior officials may be dismissed.
Another major impact Trump will bring to the Department of Defense is the potential massive removal of civilian personnel. Nearly 950,000 non-uniformed employees are within the U.S. military, many of whom have years of professional experience. Critics argue that the bloated institution and personnel interfere with the military’s normal operations.
Dr. Lin Xiaoxu, a virus expert at the former Reed Army Hospital in the United States familiar with the U.S. military, also told me, “If the top layer of generals is not cleared out, Trump’s orders will not be executed.”
It is well-known that past U.S. presidents have dismissed top military officials. In 1953, Dwight Eisenhower took office as President and dissolved several military leaders or had them retire.
However, on a positive note, Politico reported that most generals at the Pentagon are staying calm and carrying on despite the turnover, saying most individuals there are shrugging their shoulders, continuing forward regardless of what might happen the next day. Compared to other changes I have seen firsthand, there seems to be much less fear inside the building.
So, what other earthquakes will occur at the Pentagon? Let’s continue to observe.
Unlike the Pentagon facing a significant overhaul, the reform in the U.S. Department of Education will be even more comprehensive, with the entire department possibly being cut.
During the election, Trump clearly expressed this plan and announced ten major education reform measures, which were well-received by parents. He said: 1. Return education power to parents. 2. Empower parents and school boards to hire and reward excellent teachers and dismiss ineffective ones. 3. Ensure classrooms are places of useful knowledge and not political indoctrination centers. 4. Provide patriotic education to students. 5. Support schools in bringing prayer back to the classroom. 6. Ensure school safety by eliminating drugs on campuses and expelling students who assault teachers and classmates. 7. Give parents the right to choose schools and support them. 8. Guarantee that the knowledge and skills students acquire will help them succeed in society. 9. Provide college students with internship opportunities. 10. Ensure all high schools and universities offer career counseling.
From these contents, Trump’s frustration with the education system is somewhat similar to Elon Musk’s: some schools neglect instructing and cultivating students while driving beliefs out of classrooms and implanting transgender and other misguided thoughts in children’s minds, even leading to a woke virus killing Musk’s son. Therefore, both of them are trying to change the status quo.
However, the question arises concerning whether such a massive overhaul of the Department of Education will be feasible in Trump’s new term of office. If he does act on this, what does it signify?
In a brief response: terminating the institution requires approval from Congress, making it challenging for Trump to fulfill his promise during times when compromises are necessary, especially in the early stages of his presidency when he will face pressure to deliver on commitments to tax cuts and immigration. Nonetheless, it is achievable.
During his previous term, Trump attempted to dissolve the Department of Education, but progress was minimal. Now, riding on overwhelming re-election momentum and public support, coupled with Republican control of both the Senate and House of Representatives, it will be easier to pursue this route.
Many may not be aware that the U.S. Department of Education has not existed for a long time. With the U.S. being nearly 250 years old, the Department of Education was only established around 40 years ago. This is related to the unique history of the U.S.: it started as colonies, gained independence, divested itself, and then established a federal government to handle common defense and diplomacy. Thirteen states came together, crafting the U.S. Constitution and granting some of their authority to the federal government. Therefore, some federal functions, including the Federal Reserve and the Department of Education, were gradually established later on.
A fundamental concept of the U.S. founding fathers was a large society with a small government and the protection of local autonomy. Thus, Trump and Musk’s drastic reductions in federal institutions, budget cuts, and a return to the country’s founding principles are in alignment.
A historical misconception about the U.S. Department of Education is that its history is quite short. Before its establishment, individual states managed their education. Even in some states like Texas, where schools largely operate as “independent school districts.”
Another historical misconception about the U.S. Department of Education is that since its establishment as a cabinet-level agency in 1979 under President Carter’s leadership, Republican Presidents and presidential candidates have threatened to terminate the institution. Even before Carter signed the legislation, Republicans were already making efforts.
Almost achieving this feat was during the Reagan administration in 1981 when then-Education Secretary Terrel H. Bell crafted a 91-page memorandum involving the transition of the fledgling federal agency into a small foundation that would conduct research and provide support but “avoid direction and control.” However, the plan faced congressional resistance and later resistance from Bell himself, who argued that the federal government played a role in ensuring schools dealt with the “tide of mediocrity” in American education.
So, why do Republicans want to shut down the Department of Education? Conservative circles believe that the institution symbolizes bureaucratic bloat at the federal level and infringes on states’ rights as guaranteed in the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. However, supporters argue that the department plays a crucial role in ensuring fairness for students and helping states raise school performance standards.
The Department of Education, in reality, does not dictate what educators teach; its primary function is to distribute funds and handle civil rights issues. Compared to state and local revenues, the funds it manages represent only a small portion of the school budget. Previously, the Department of Education under the Bush administration implemented the “No Child Left Behind” policy, and under Obama, the “Race to the Top,” but these were mainly minor research projects.
The most significant task of the U.S. Department of Education is in higher education, overseeing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and large-scale federal student loan and grant programs, with outstanding student loan debts totaling over $1 trillion. However, those in favor of abolishing the Department of Education argue this task could be handed over to the Treasury Department. Indeed, Bell’s 1981 plan included transferring student financial aid programs to the Treasury Department and handing over the scaled-down civil rights enforcement work to the Department of Justice.
Many are unaware that essential federal education programs in American schools are managed by other agencies. For instance, the Head Start program, an early childhood education program, is overseen by the Department of Health and Human Services. The National School Lunch Program is managed by the Department of Agriculture.
This wraps up the discussion on the possible abolishment of the U.S. Department of Education. Reflecting on this information, I couldn’t help but think about China. The Chinese Communist Party’s education sector is not only bloated and inefficient but also instills students with the CCP’s propaganda. When will China also be able to massively cut these departments, returning education to its true purpose of teaching, instructing, imparting knowledge, and revealing truth?
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