Reject using American cities as military training grounds

This week, during an address to U.S. military leaders, President Trump made a statement that should concern all of us:
“San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles — they’re very unsafe places and we’re going to straighten them out one by one. And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within. I told [Secretary of War] Pete [Hegseth] we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military.”
The president’s direction to use American cities as military “training grounds” — or for soldiers to “straighten out” cities under the guise of public safety — is dangerous rhetoric at conflict with the law.
Civilian control over the military is a foundational principle of our republic. The Declaration of Independence took issue with King George III rendering “the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.” The U.S. Supreme Court has said the Constitution “firmly embodies” keeping military power subservient to civilian authority. Commanding soldiers to engage in a “war within” against American civilians does the exact opposite.
The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the use of active-duty military personnel for domestic law enforcement, except in very narrow and legally defined circumstances. The Insurrection Act permits military deployment only in cases of rebellion or when requested by a state and then, only sparingly and with accountability. Neither law permits using American cities as “training grounds.”
For President Trump to declare a “war within” against certain “blue” cities offends his most basic responsibility. He took an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States” — which includes upholding the rights and safety of all persons, including residents of the cities he named and all those he did not.
Just because the president and War Department have not yet declared Montana “unsafe” does not mean we are safe. With his enormous powers, the president plays a crucial role in protecting the well-being of people regardless of race, religion, income or political belief, and in unifying our country. That means avoiding — not declaring — a “war within.” From Abraham Lincoln’s famous 1858 speech, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Civilian authority and local governance are bedrock American principles. Our military is not a domestic police force, and treating any American city as an enemy battleground, even rhetorically, undermines the rule of law. It disrespects the veterans, service members, and law enforcement who live and serve in those cities.
As Montanans, let’s ask our federal representatives to take a public stand against this dangerous rhetoric and for a clear answer to these questions:
• Will you oppose the use of the U.S. military as a domestic law enforcement tool outside of lawful, limited circumstances?
• Will you investigate whether any policies or plans exist to implement the use of any American city or town for military “training” or enforcement purposes?
• Will you support legislation to strengthen legal safeguards that prevent military overreach on U.S. soil, including using the military to quash or intimidate political opposition?
Public trust in the government is fragile and eroding daily. Defending the separation between civilian and military authority is not optional; it is essential. Montanans, and all Americans, deserve representatives who possess the courage to stand up for the law even when politically inconvenient.
Tim Strauch is an attorney in Missoula.