Military Leaders Analyze Trump's Use of Marines and National Guard in LA

Deployment of Active Duty Marines to LA

• ❌ Combat Marines are trained for ground combat, not crowd control or de-escalation, according to James McPherson, former Under Secretary of the Army.
• ❓ McPherson questions the extent of any crowd control training provided to Marines, suggesting it's insufficient compared to MP or National Guard training.

Federalization of the National Guard

• ⚠️ Federalizing the National Guard for domestic use is seen as a suboptimal solution by retired Maj. Gen. David Baldwin, as it limits their roles and authority.
• 🤝 The National Guard functions best under state control, allowing for close coordination with local law enforcement.
• 🚫 Federalization occurred over the objections of California's governor and without a request from local law enforcement leaders.

Rules of Engagement vs. Use of Force

• 🚨 The term "rules of engagement" is inappropriate for domestic civil support missions; "rules for the use of force" is more accurate.
• 🚫 The concept of "hostile intent" is relevant for combat rules of engagement, not for domestic use of force scenarios.
• 🗣️ The President's tweet, "If they spit, we will hit," is deemed an inappropriate framework for rules of engagement.

Coordination and Escalation Concerns

• 🤝 When activated by a governor, the National Guard typically maintains close coordination with state and local law enforcement through liaisons.
• 📈 There is a concern that the Trump administration may desire escalating violence in California to justify invoking the Insurrection Act.
• 🇺🇸 Invoking the Insurrection Act would allow uniformed service members to enforce laws upon U.S. citizens, which is seen as highly undesirable.

Necessity of Deployment

• 📉 Reports suggest the unrest in Los Angeles was localized, leading to questions about the necessity of deploying the National Guard and Marines.
• ⚠️ Both experts express confidence in the troops but fear the situation could escalate out of control, potentially leading to the invocation of the Insurrection Act.