As the Army celebrates its 250th birthday, officials say the military’s apolitical nature is at risk

As the US Army prepares for its 250th birthday celebration with a major parade of military hardware in Washington, DC, which just happens to coincide with President Donald’s Trumps birthday, former officials are growing increasingly concerned about how the military is being pulled into the political arena by the Trump administration, multiple former and current officials told CNN.

As the US Army prepares for its 250th birthday celebration with a major parade of military hardware in Washington, DC, which just happens to coincide with President Donald Trump’s birthday, former officials are growing increasingly concerned about how the military is being pulled into the political arena, multiple former and current officials told CNN. The parade, which will feature several million pounds of military hardware including tanks, Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles, and culminate in a speech from Trump, comes at a tense moment. This week, roughly 4,000 National Guardsmen were mobilized in Los Angeles, along with a full battalion of US Marines in response to civil unrest. Thousands of National Guardsmen have also been mobilized in Texas. And on Tuesday, uniformed US soldiers were seen on-camera cheering the president as he delivered a political speech at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, reminiscent of those he delivered on the campaign trail – an event which serves as a microcosm of the concerns around a larger trend of the politicization of the military. Current and former military officials told CNN that the event at Fort Bragg is being viewed within some corners of the Army as a public relations fail, since the military has strict regulations regarding political activity and is typically hyper-sensitive to any perception it is taking a political stance. Multiple officials said the Army had little control over the event; once the president is involved, they said, the White House takes over. And a defense official with direct knowledge of the event emphasized it was not the Army’s intention for the troops to appear political. Sometimes, they said, the situation is out of their hands. “I would say I never want to see a political piece of paraphernalia on a military installation, period,” the official said, adding that it’s “not the military that’s trying to be political, it’s people trying to use the military – which tends to poll very positively – for political gain.” Current and former officials speaking to CNN had varied levels of concern regarding the trajectory the military is on in regard to being seen as political. Some, for example, maintained that Saturday’s parade was about celebrating the Army, while others acknowledged heartburn among leaders that while the Army may see it as celebrating the service, the public could associate the parade, which has been a goal of Trump’s since his first term, with a celebration of his presidency.