Army chief says military leaders take the lives of their troops “very seriously”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Army Chief of Staff General James McConville on Tuesday dismissed President Donald Trump’s assertion that top military officials like to go to wars as it benefits defense contractors.
• McConville said that they are taking the lives of their troops “very seriously.”
• The president’s relationship took a hit over reports that Trump called soldiers who got killed as “losers.”

On Tuesday, US Army Chief of Staff General James McConville refuted the claims made by President Donald Trump a day earlier. The president said that military senior leaders were fond of going to wars because it pleases defense contractors.

Citing the military’s flag officers and senior enlisted advisers during an online interview with Defense One, McConville said: “Many of these leaders have sons and daughters that serve in the military. Many of these leaders have sons and daughters that have gone to combat and maybe in combat right now. I can assure the American people that the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it’s required for national security and in the last resort.”

The Army Chief did not refer to Trump’s assertions that the military’s top officials were keen on fighting wars because it profits defense contractors.

Trump said on Monday that US soldiers are “in love” with him, adding that “the top people in the Pentagon probably aren’t because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.”

The four-star general initially hesitated when asked for his opinion regarding Trump’s comments.

“I’m not going to comment on really the president’s comments or really any of the politicians’ comments,” he said. “We live in a political environment but we’re an apolitical organization, and I think it really must remain that way, especially with an election coming up.”

Then after being pressed again without citing the president, McConville gave a more holistic answer — emphasizing that military leaders take into consideration the lives of their troops.

“We take this very, very seriously,” he said. “I feel strongly about that.”

Trump’s latest pronouncement that service members love him was contrary to the recent Military Times poll. It showed that more troops are more in favor of voting for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden than him. Based on the poll, Trump got an unfavorable view from half of the respondents compared to 38 percent who liked him.

McConville also addressed the issue of using military forces to halt the recent unrests across the country.

“The job of the American military is to protect the nation, not to police the nation,” he argued. “That’s why we have police officers. That’s why we have law enforcement.”

Trump’s relationship with the military took a hit following The Atlantic’s report that the president called deceased American troops as “losers.”

Source: AOL.com