U.S. Military Removes Commander of Greenland Base After Vance Visit

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51. Military resistance or even opposition to Presidential intent tends to be rare. When contrary views move from personal

to public, or even official channels, there are consequences.

For example, President Carter signed “U.S. Policy in Korea Presidential Directive/NSC-12” on the 5th of May, 1977. The Directive addressed reducing the number of US troops in Korea.

[From the Army War College] https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2761&context=parameters

"Major General John K. Singlaub, chief of staff of US forces in Korea, made comments understood to be off-the-record during an interview with Washington Post reporter John Saar in Seoul.21 The most inflammatory segment of the interview captured Singlaub’s contention, “If U.S. ground troops are withdrawn on the schedule suggested, it will lead to war.”"

"On May 21, 1977, President Carter officially relieved General Singlaub of his position as a result of his comments."

"During his June 8, 1977, commencement address at the United States Military Academy, Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander Jr. took a hard line on military subordination. He outlined three distinct forums, with variable degrees of independence. First, military officers were free to offer opinions within their chain of command until a decision was reached. Second, when appearing before Congress, an officer is free to express a personal opinion but is bound to cite and support policy. Lastly, when dealing with the media, an officer should know when a policy is established or still under discussion and express that to the media. [my emphasis] Alexander warned, “Attempts to achieve outside the chain of command what one could not achieve inside the chain of command are out of keeping with this tradition [of the president as commander in chief] and inconsistent with military professionalism.”