Thought experiment

[BDK]

You are full-bird Colonel Shooter.

The Idiot Subsequent has announced imminent simultaneous confiscation of 401ks and private arms.

This is expected to cause considerable excitement, as you might imagine.

You may presume military demographics/politics are the same as current - as such, their is considerable unrest among the troops - among with rumors coming from the top down that Idiot Subsequent will expect to use force to "maintain order".

One version, you are active duty, the other, you are in the NG.

Fundamentally, you seem to be faced with, maintaining command and control of your men, (There are rumors of an "incident" involving a group widely viewed as JBTs/wannabes by your troops, and involving family of one of your troops), fulfilling your oath, seeing that the Republic survives, and that you do so as well.

[slowpoke]

Help my commanding generals arrest the tyrant?

[PawPaw]

Much the same predicament that Lee faced. I would hope I faced it with the same grace he displayed.

[BDK]

Agreed about Lee.

So, how do you propose arresting the, duly elected Idiot?

(I think we are perilously close to a situation where the populace would be comfortable with the military arresting most of DC, but how do you do that, and avoid the advent of Caesar?)

[Netpackrat]

So, how do you propose arresting the, duly elected Idiot?

Going for "cardiac" works for me.

[arctictom]

Some of us have planned for this . Your money in one country ,earn income in a other etc etc

[Termite]

With DEVGRU, 160th SOAR, and some F-22, F-15 or F-16 aircover, it is doable.

IOW, USSOCOM leaves MacDill and goes to the Potomac.

[Precision]

At a minimum, I bring in all my underling officers to a meeting. I read through the laws on illegal orders, on Posse Comitatus etc. I discuss with them the effects of abrogating the Constitution to follow a Nero type President. I bring up facts and let them discuss. I make notes on who is not getting it.

Once I have self led buy in to the RIGHT course of action, I have a second meeting with the NCO's and the officers who get it. Here, we lay out what is coming as well as the party line as to what they are going to pass down to the rank and file. Sprinkle in a few words like treason, civil war, get your house and your unit in order. Impress on them that the more unified we are the less likely it is for civil war to start or at least the shorter it will last in duration.

Of course this would be after doing back channel polling of my fellow colonels, seeing who among them will be faithful to the Country and who will be faithful to the office of the Exec.

[BDK]

My guess is

1) If possible, confine troops to base

2) Isolate affected troops

3) If needed, make examples of any troops who are causing discipline issues.

(Maintaining control/keeping the military out of it would seem vital to me. Private citizenry can sort out any JBTs in short order.)

Hope I get to shelter behind Posse Commitatatus/the govebor's refusal to federalize us, if NG.

Have private words w local LEO command/Congressmen etc about not getting involved.

I think the most irrecoverable situation is Balkanization. Military weaponry and trained troops fighting inside population centers.

Now: if you are an NG commander in Crazy Land who has been turned over to Fed authority... I don't know what to do.

[skb12172]

At a minimum, I bring in all my underling officers to a meeting. I read through the laws on illegal orders, on Posse Comitatus etc. I discuss with them the effects of abrogating the Constitution to follow a Nero type President. I bring up facts and let them discuss. I make notes on who is not getting it.

Once I have self led buy in to the RIGHT course of action, I have a second meeting with the NCO's and the officers who get it. Here, we lay out what is coming as well as the party line as to what they are going to pass down to the rank and file. Sprinkle in a few words like treason, civil war, get your house and your unit in order. Impress on them that the more unified we are the less likely it is for civil war to start or at least the shorter it will last in duration.

Of course this would be after doing back channel polling of my fellow colonels, seeing who among them will be faithful to the Country and who will be faithful to the office of the Exec.

What, if anything, do you do with the ones who don't get it.