Speak Now or Forever War

Trump may have just started the next forever war. If you were a casual listener of last week’s State of the Union, you’d have heard the president offer some forceful words about Iran without mentioning he had already amassed an armada outside Iran so big it is the largest show of U.S. naval power in the Middle East since Iraq. Only a few days later, against the counsel of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, despite having neither a clear rationale nor a plan for involvement, let alone presenting one to Congress or the American public, the U.S. began reckless and illegal strikes on Iran. For weeks prior, rumors had been circulating that Trump was considering a fully fledged, enduring conflict. Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s response on X summed up what many of us were thinking: “Americans do not want to go to war with Iran!!!…And they voted for NO MORE FOREIGN WARS AND NO MORE REGIME CHANGE.” None of this registered with a President who had already bombed seven countries since returning to power. With Trump and Hegseth so hellbent on hellfire at our expense, we all must speak up to stop them. That’s why they’re coming after our freedom of speech–and starting with the troops on purpose.

The U.S. military’s weaponization of poverty presents a financial incentive to stay in line. By design, the military is one of the most foolproof ways in America to get education, healthcare, a steady paycheck, and even citizenship. In return, young servicemembers risk their lives while oligarchs profit. This is the military industrial complex, and it is not a secret. As long as Trump can extract and exploit, he doesn’t see a cost to war. He’s a draft dodger who has called fallen American soldiers ‘losers’ and ‘suckers’ and “finds the notion of military service difficult to understand, and the idea of volunteering to serve especially incomprehensible.” Those of us who have served or are serving see it differently. But unfortunately, when the consequences can be cuts to rank, pay, or benefits, dishonorable discharge, court-martial, or getting deported, what 18-year-old enlisted kid is prepared to disobey or speak out against the officers above them?

To the regime’s chagrin, veterans are trying to help. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro attempted to convince a Grand Jury to indict several members of Congress–who are also all veterans–after they posted a 90-second video reminding servicemembers they could refuse to follow an unlawful order, which is–and this is true–the law. Trump’s response was swift and chilling; he called the video “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL,” branded the lawmakers “traitors,” demanded they be “ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL,” and called their actions “punishable by DEATH!” That a Grand Jury refused to indict hardly lessens the blow that a sitting American president is weaponizing our justice system to intimidate dissenters.

Obviously, this wasn’t sedition. If anything, reciting American laws ought to be considered patriotic. But for a man who believes his will is the only law that matters, those who would amplify the existence of an actual law that does limit him are, naturally, “traitors.” More than the speakers or their speech, however, Trump might have blown a gasket over their video’s potential audience; the simple notion that soldiers could learn about lawfully challenging orders sent Trump on a tirade so unhinged that he threatened sitting Congressmen with death. Clearly, between an unprecedented firing spree of leaders that continues to destabilize the military and Secretary Hegseth’s attempt to muzzle the press at the Pentagon, the regime is in overdrive to reduce the military to Trump-loyalists while also reducing oversight and accountability.

To be clear, servicemembers already accept limits on speech, but memos instituted under Trump have threatened greater consequences for certain criticisms of the president or other superior officers. In fact, one Air Force lawyer, who spoke only under the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, called the new guidance both troubling and threatening. Now, retired General Keane, former Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, claims Hegseth just wants to “spoon-feed information to the journalists.” He adds, “That’s not journalism.” No kidding. That’s propaganda.

Notably, CEO of Anthropic Dario Amodei said of this topic: “The constitutional protections in our military structures depend on the idea that there are humans who would — we hope — disobey illegal orders. With fully autonomous weapons, we don’t necessarily have those protections.” Now, Trump and Hegseth are threatening that Anthropic better let them use its AI tools for “all lawful purposes” or else. They want to make fully autonomous weapons and conduct mass surveillance on Americans, and they already admitted they used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro’s kidnapping. With a man famous for violence and uncomplicated celebrations of death at the helm, and a plan to ramp up the unlawful orders as he wages an illegal war, solidifying silence for those with a front row view is an important preparation step to getting away with it. Of course, the regime is hoping to decrease disobedience. Most humans have a conscience but AI is programmed.

Servicemembers may soon find themselves stuck between a rock and Fascism. Our military is not Trump’s private muscle, but there is currently immense pressure on servicemembers to make that distinction. Unfortunately, insubordination–even of a feckless authoritarian demagogue–takes courage. So, call your elected officials and tell them to step up. Military personnel have a duty to disobey unlawful orders, and we should make sure they know that. Threatening the lives of Americans for exercising their rights under the First Amendment should not be tolerated, and we should make sure Trump knows that. And if striking Iran, or anywhere else, were ever truly necessary, then at least the American public could have been persuaded through a proper Congressional debate. We must scrutinize the military now more than ever, and pay attention to who stands to gain from the next war. It is time to support the troops against their Commander in Chief.

Julie Roland was a Naval Officer for ten years, deploying to both the South China Sea and the Persian Gulf as a helicopter pilot before separating in June 2025 as a Lieutenant Commander. She has a law degree from the University of San Diego, a Master of Laws from Columbia University, and is a member of the Truman National Security Project.