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Pentagon officials are holding informal talks about how the Defense Department would respond if Donald Trump issues orders to deploy active-duty troops domestically and remove large groups of apolitical staff, defense officials told CNN.
Trump has suggested he is open to using active law enforcement forces domestically, for mass deportations and has indicated he wants to fill the federal government with loyalists and "purge corrupt actors" in the US national security establishment. .
During his last term, Trump had a strained relationship with much of his senior military leadership, including now-retired General Mark Milley, who took steps to limit Trump's ability to use nuclear weapons while serving as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Meanwhile, the President-elect has repeatedly criticized American generals, calling them "weak" and "ineffective leaders."
Officials tell CNN they are considering different scenarios as they prepare for a Pentagon reorganization.
"We are all preparing and planning for the worst case scenario, but the reality is that we still don't know how things will play out," a defense official said.
Trump's election has also raised questions within the Pentagon about what might happen if the president issues an illegal order, especially if his political appointees within the department do not object.
"The troops are obliged by law not to obey illegal orders. But the question is what happens then? Will we see resignations from senior military leaders? Or will they see it as abandoning their people?” said another defense official.
It's not yet clear who Trump will pick to lead the Pentagon, though officials believe Trump and his team will try to avoid the kind of "hostile" relationship he had with the military during his last administration, a former - defense official who served under Trump.
"The relationship between the White House and the Department of Defense was very, very bad, and so ... I know that's going to be a priority for how they choose the people they're going to put in the Department of Defense this time," said former the official.
Defense officials are also trying to identify civilian employees who could be affected if Trump reinstates Schedule F, an executive order he first issued in 2020 that, if implemented, would reclassify a large swath of federal employees. career apoliticals throughout the US government, making it easier to fire them.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday: “I have every confidence that our leaders will continue to do the right thing no matter what. I also believe that our Congress will continue to do the right things to support our military.”
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