Retired Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr., in an essay for Foreign Affairs, warns that using U.S. military forces for politically contentious domestic missions creates dangerous "mission creep." Co-authors Peter Feaver and Andrew Kragie criticize deployments such as National Guard operations in cities including Washington, D.C., saying they divert the military from its core combat role. The essay urges that civilian institutions, not the armed forces, should address domestic dysfunction to protect military readiness and public trust.
C.Q. Brown Warns 'Mission Creep' — Using the Military for Domestic Politics Threatens Readiness
Retired Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr., the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who was abruptly dismissed by President Donald Trump last year, warned in a new Foreign Affairs essay that employing America's armed forces for politically charged domestic missions is dangerous and shortsighted.
Co-authored with Duke professor Peter Feaver, a former National Security Council official, and attorney Andrew Kragie, the essay raises specific concerns about deployments such as sending the National Guard into U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C. The authors argue that such moves amount to "mission creep" that undermines the military's core purpose.
"When presidents use the armed forces for more politically contentious missions, such as addressing domestic crime in cities, the work of the military becomes more fraught," the authors write. "Resorting to a military solution rather than fixing the underlying incapacity or dysfunction in civilian institutions diverts the military from focusing on its primary combat mission. And, as Washington knew, it is not the military’s job to save the republic from political impasses. Indeed, if you ask too much of the military, you risk the entire enterprise."
The essay stresses that the temptation to use the military's capabilities for domestic problems is understandable, but cautions against turning armed forces into instruments for resolving political disputes. Instead, Brown and his co-authors say civilian authorities and institutions should address the root causes of domestic dysfunction.
Why this matters: The authors contend that politicizing military deployments risks degrading combat readiness, eroding public trust in the armed forces, and blurring the essential separation between civilian governance and military power.
Read the full essay at Foreign Affairs.
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