WE can only pray and hope there are a lot more commanding officers like Marine Corps General Christopher Mahoney ( 13th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ) to protect us from NOT MY pres ( c-i-c draft dodger bone spurs ) drumpf / trump, NOT MY vp vance, Sec of Defense petie lola hegseth, neo-nazi stephen joseph goebbels miller and uber fascist heritage foundation pig russell vought.
By SVETLANA SHKOLNIKOVA STARS AND STRIPES • September 11, 2025
WASHINGTON — Marine Corps Gen. Christopher Mahoney said Thursday he would push back against any unlawful directives and focus on modernization if confirmed to serve as the military’s second-highest ranking officer. Mahoney, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, said he did not expect to receive illegal orders as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff but assured senators he would speak out if he is asked to diverge from the oath he took to the Constitution. “If I am ever put into a situation where 38 years of an oath is put at risk to do something different the answer is simple: I will adhere to my oath to the Constitution,” he said. “That is what is expected.” His testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee came amid concerns from Democrats about a buildup of military assets in the Caribbean and fears that the deployment of troops to American cities is politicizing the military. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the panel, said he worried the administration was silencing military leaders from providing legal and best military advice or even speaking honestly about operations. “Your reputation as a candid and forthright officer will be depended upon and tested in this role,” he told Mahoney. Mahoney has served in the military for 38 years, training as an infantryman in the Marine Corps and a fighter pilot in the Navy. He has more than 5,000 hours of flight time and previously served as deputy commander of U.S. forces in Japan. For several months in 2023 and 2024, Mahoney performed the duties of Marine Corps commandant, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Gen. Eric Smith recovered from a cardiac arrest. Mahoney said on Thursday that his experiences will help inform his approach to modernizing the force, innovating at speed and scale and maintaining a technical edge against adversaries such as China and Russia. He would serve as chair of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, an organization that helps assess capability requirements and review the weapons acquisition process, if confirmed. Mahoney received widespread praise for his qualifications from members of both parties, with Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., praising Mahoney’s decades of leadership in the Marine Corps. “I also know the president will benefit greatly from his candid advice,” Wicker said. Democrats repeatedly asked Mahoney to comment on controversies that have consumed the military and the Trump administration in recent months. Mahoney acknowledged that policing duties were “not a direct mission” of the military when pressed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., on Trump’s threats to deploy more troops domestically. He described a concerted effort among the Marine Corps to carry out orders professionally and protect “the reputation of the cloth” during the June deployment of 700 Marines to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests. A federal judge ruled last week that the Trump administration violated a 19th-century law barring the use of soldiers for civilian law enforcement when it mobilized the Marines and 4,000 National Guard troops. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said Mahoney’s most important job will be to provide unvarnished advice to the president and asked him whether he was prepared to “stand in the breach of a terrible decision and the right decision.” “The direct answer, senator, is yes,” he said.
SVETLANA SHKOLNIKOVA Svetlana Shkolnikova covers Congress for Stars and Stripes. She previously worked as a reporter for The Record newspaper in New Jersey and the USA Today Network. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland and has reported from Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia and Ukraine.
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