Don't expect Pete Hegseth to stand in his way.

Thus far, Trump has not raised the possibility of sending actual troops to Ontario. Instead, he seems to believe he can achieve this Canadian Anschluss by simply crushing Canada’s economy and leaving it no choice but to join the US.

But Canada in 2025 is not Austria in 1938. “Canada will never, ever be part of America,” declared newly elected Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney last week, making the country’s position crystal clear. And, last month, the Canadian Armed Forces announced that after years of declining enrollment, it had seen a surge in enlistments since Trump took office, with about 1,000 more applicants than last year. (Canadian officials couldn’t attribute the new rash of interest to Trump’s threats, but they didn’t rule it out, either.)

Given that Canada will never voluntarily join the US—which it is adamant about—would Trump try to use force to annex it? And would Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth go along with this crazy plan?

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
      41·
      20 hours ago

      The officers issue orders, and the officers mostly hate Trump. The enlisted people are far more pro-Trump than the people who issue orders. They take an oath to protect the people under their command AND an oath to protect the Constitution, and they take those oaths very seriously. They hate that Trump shits all over those people and shits all over the Constitution.

      They will follow orders from Trump when there isn’t much at stake or if they align with their mission of protecting the United States and its allies/interests. I think you would see mass resignations on the officer side of the military if they were commanded by Trump to attack Canada. They might not refuse to follow an order, but they might resign or force a reassignment to a post that is not involved with the attack on Canada.

      • Fiction@lemm.eeEnglish
        71·
        20 hours ago

        I believe you think too highly of the moral strength of the officer core.

        if there’s an officer that refuses a command from President Trump, they will be made an example of immediately court-martial, have their family harassed, Possibly having to retroactively pay back loans or any other beneficial arrangement that they have received as part of the officers station, have all of their benefits rescinded immediately, their names will be publicized. The Maga crew will descend on them and make their lives hell. Within a week no other officer will even think of refusing a command or order from the president.