That sounds like an excellent policy. I don’t see how the Secretary of War infringed it in any way. The US military is not conscripted but voluntary. They can always quit if they don’t like the Commander in Chief’s orders.
The Captain
Nah, the infringement is just getting started.
The Pentagon plans to introduce mandatory non-disclosure agreements and lie detector tests for thousands of people, a new report reveals.
Sure, then all we will be left with are those that are more than happy to follow illegal orders - like using our cities as “training grounds” for the active military, as the POTUS stated, by practicing on the “enemy within.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/trump-military-cities-training-ground-00587977
Honestly, I don’t know how someone that had personal experience with what happened in Venezuela can be so flippant with actions that appear very similar.
One of the few things keeping us from a similar fate is the willingness of the military leaders to deny illegal orders. We lose that and there is little protecting our democracy.
I strongly advise you to revisit Article 328 and those that followed. It was the beginning of the end of democracy in Venezuela and it is eerily similar to what the current POTUS has suggested.
Article 328 of the Venezuelan Constitution designates the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) as the institution responsible for defending the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the country. It also emphasizes the need for the armed forces to be loyal to the Constitution and the laws of Venezuela.
Article 329 grants the President of the Republic the authority to command the armed forces, making the military directly accountable to the executive branch.
Article 330 further establishes the Bolivarian National Armed Forces as an institution for ensuring national sovereignty and maintaining peace, order, and security in the country.
The military also has a role in enforcing the “Bolivarian Revolution,” a movement initiated by Hugo Chávez to establish a socialist framework for the country, which includes the promotion of military involvement in civil affairs.
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Are you familiar with the term desertion?
I don’t think this is accurate. When you join the military, you enlist or are commissioned for a set term. The only lawful way out is through established separation or discharge procedures, and even those require approval. Also, as Puck indicates, just quitting would be considered AWOL.
There is, of course, a foundational fact that you can disobey unlawful orders (in fact there is an obligation to), but that is very risky move in reality.
Pete
The US military is not conscripted but voluntary. They can always quit if they don’t like the Commander in Chief’s orders.
You’re joking right? If not this is right up there we need 10 glasses of water every day to be healthy, and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld planted explosives in the World Trade Towers.
The military and marriage are the only two things you can volunteer into but never out of. Well, officers can give I think it’s 2 weeks notice. The people doing all the work have to wait till their hitch is up and that requires approval so it’s not really available f tehy don’t want it to be
That isn’t actually correct. You have to apply to resign or retire. It can be denied. There is no two week notice that once you notify, you are allowed to leave on your own terms. It can in fact take months for a resignation of a commission to be approved - especially for those of higher rank where finding a qualified replacement may take longer.
And, in the meantime, you serve "at the pleasure” of your commander - or in other words, if you are disliked for your resignation, be prepared to be punished, or worse, until your separation date.
You are correct. You can apply if youre eligible but it’s still subject to “approval.”
And even then the government has the power to recall retired military back into service.
About the Venezuelan Constitution, which one? There have been four or five. I liked the previous one with one exception, an article about land holding.
I knew that Chavez would be a disaster but even intelligent friends of mine voted for him and lived to regret it. You guys should not have elected your guy. Have you considered why he got elected?
The “good” news is that you can elect someone else in three years.
The Captain