US President Donald Trump addresses senior military officers gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, on September 30, 2025. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the US military must fix "decades of decay" as he addressed a rare gathering of hundreds of senior officers summoned from around the world to hear him speak near Washington. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)
One of the frequent criticisms of post-independence Africa – by both liberal and conservative commentators – is that dictators have used their countries’ armies to stay in power and to oppress their people.
That “barrel of a gun” attitude is having ominous echoes today in the country which is supposed to be the heartland of democracy: the United States of America.
Addressing a gathering of the country’s generals this week, President Donald Trump said America faces a “war from within” and suggested American cities be used as “training grounds” for troops.
The Republican leader told the brass to prepare for a greater role in crackdowns on Democrat-run cities.
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The US was a country established by force of arms in a revolution against British rule, but its military code means soldiers in uniform must stay politically neutral.
To deploy troops internally in a blatant party political battle is nothing less than spitting on the US constitution.
Trump has already demonstrated that, as commander-in-chief, the US military – the world’s most powerful armed force – is his toy, ordering attacks on everything from Iran, to alleged drug smuggling boats from Venezuela.
But, abusing the military like this is a major step down the road to another civil war.
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