The military has been a powerful force for social progress in the US. Under Trump, it is being used to undo it.
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The military has been a powerful force for social progress in the US. Under Trump, it is being used to undo it
Published
June 22, 2026 6:45AM (EDT)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth salutes graduating cadets at the U.S. Military Academy on May 23, 2026 in West Point, New York. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
The military was once a lifeline for Black Americans. It’s become something else.
Trump, Hegseth and Caine celebrate 2026 military graduates with political and culture wars and anti-woke jokes
The Trump administration evidently seeks to transform the US military into a partisan tool of the president’s regime
And the military is being weakened by it.
President and defense chief delivered pair of incendiary speeches to a crowd of hundreds of generals and admirals
Hegseth is rethinking his order to offload old systems and bring in new tech.
