Trump Speaks at West Point Graduation Amid Tensions With Military Leaders

President Trump told the Army’s newest officers on Saturday that they will not have to serve in “endless wars” being waged in “far away lands, ” but made no mention of his thwarted effort in recent days to deploy the active-duty military to the streets of American cities over the objections of Pentagon leaders. In a commencement ceremony at the United States Military Academy at West Point that had been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic before the president insisted on moving forward with it, Mr. Trump presented himself as a staunch supporter of the armed forces who has increased spending on tanks, aircraft and other weapons even as he said they should not be used in fruitless foreign conflicts.“We are ending the era of endless wars, ” Mr. Trump said. “In its place is a renewed cleareyed focus on defending America’s vital interests. It is not the duty of U. S. troops to solve ancient conflicts in far away lands that many people have never even heard of. We are not the policeman of the world. But let our enemies be on notice: If our people are threatened, we will never, ever hesitate to act. And when we fight from now on, we will only fight to win. ”The president’s address skirted the more acute issue of the last few days as he threatened to order active-duty troops to put down demonstrations against racial injustice that have been predominantly peaceful but marred at times by looting and rioting. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, successfully resisted the president, leaving a deep schism between the commander in chief and the military. Mr. Trump alluded to the national reckoning over race following the killing of George Floyd only elliptically by noting that West Point graduates were among those who “fought and won a bloody war to extinguish the evil of slavery” during the Civil War and were “at the forefront of ending the terrible injustice of segregation” during the civil rights era.“What has historically made America unique is the durability of its institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment, ” Mr. Trump told the cadets. “When times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, timeless, enduring and eternal. ”The president’s critics have condemned him for exploiting the military and for forcing West Point to hold commencement in person when other schools canceled theirs. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside West Point on Saturday, holding signs like “Cadets Aren’t Props” and “Welcome Cadet Bone Spurs. ” Others showed support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Laura Vetter, an instructor for 18 years at West Point before retiring last fall, was among those who said she was protesting on behalf of West Point graduates who are not allowed to make political statements in uniform. “The day I retired my muzzle came off, ” she said. All data is taken from the source: http://nytimes.com Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/13/us... #west #newsyearsday #newstoday #newsworld #newsworldbbc #newstodayoncnn # Trump Speaks at West Point Graduation Amid Tensions With Military Leaders:    • Trump Speaks at West Point Graduation Amid...