Members of Count Every Hero, other retired general and flag officers, service secretaries, and Vet Voice Foundation file amicus brief highlighting the risks posed by the D.C. domestic deployment.

Washington DC — Thirty-four former service secretaries and retired general and flag officers, including members of Count Every Hero, and the Vet Voice Foundation filed an amicus brief in District of Columbia v. Trump in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The amici filed this brief in support of neither party. The brief warns that deploying the military on U.S. soil in a highly politicized context is contrary to core American values and can be harmful to the military.

In the brief, the amici emphasized the foundational precept of an apolitical military that “is able to serve the sovereign American people regardless of party and to defend all Americans regardless of their affiliation.” They argued that deploying the National Guard in this highly political context endangers the apolitical reputation of the military.

“While presidential disagreement with and criticism of his political opponents is unexceptional, linking such comments to the actual and threatened deployment of the U.S. military is highly unusual — and profoundly concerning.”

The former national security leaders further underscored the harm to the National Guard’s readiness, the military’s reputation, and the service members’ morale politicized domestic deployments such as this one can cause.

Read the full amicus brief here.