The United States Armed Forces as the most powerful Armed Forces in the world, equipped with high-tech armaments and combat tested in war theaters all over the world, face challenging times ahead with the unfolding of US National Security Strategy 2025 (NSS2025 and the Quantico Address by President Trump and his Secretary of War Hegseth.
The US Armed Forces in end-2025 perceptionally face bigger challenges of political interference, in their time-tested professional ethos, far transcending the strategic challenges posed by China and Russia as major adversaries of the United States.
The stress currently being made out in Trump 2,0 Administration that the US Armed Forces need to be professionally enthused with the "Warrior Spirit" presumably arises from the abrupt withdrawal of US Armed Forces from Afghanistan.
It cannot be forgotten that US Armed Forces ABRUPT EXIT from Afghanistan was a political decision for which both Trump Administration 1.0 and Biden Administration can be called to account. It was the Trump 1.0 Administration which had opened negotiations with the Afghan Taliban at Doha, Qatar.
United States failure in Afghanistan in its second intervention cannot be blamed on US Armed Forces professional competence, but as reflected in my extensive writings on Afghanistan, the failure was attributable to "Political Micromanagement by Washinton" of US military operations shackling Commanders and troops.
The NSS 2025 as reflected in my earlier essay spins US National Strategy on its head by lowering US 'threat perceptions' of China and Russia and giving primacy to fighting "Invasion from Within" in words of President Trump at Quantico.
Geopolitical impact of NSS 2025 generated ripples globally as its major impact was on the credibility of United States as nett provider of global security and US commitments to its multilateral military alliances like NATO, bilateral Mutual Security Pacts like those with Japan and South Korea and strategic partnerships like India.
That is why I had titled my preceding post as the "United States as a Fading Superpower" and my analysis can be re-read for details of geopolitical impact.
However, what has created a storm in United States, both political and military, going by US electronic and print media critical reports is the Address by President Trump and his Secretary of War Hegseth on September 30, 2025.
The context of this storm goes back to the first few months of Trump Administration 2.0 in which 15-18 Generals of 'Three Star' and 'Four Star' resigned or made to resign by presidential directives. Reasons attributed in US media hinted at these Generals not attuned to Trump 2.0policies.
The Quantico Meet saw over 800 senior military commanders above 'One Star' being unprecedently summoned from all over the world, to be addressed by President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth on what perceptionally be termed as the "Trump Agenda" for the US Armed Forces with three more years to go.
Both the US and the Indian media have carried details of Quantico Meet and those will not be repeated here. What follows are major deductions that arise from official pronouncements made at the Meet.
Major issues, arising from the above, in terms of challenges likely to unfold for the US Armed Forces, are as follows:
- US Civil-Military Relations
- US Miliary Leadership Challenges
- US Armed Forces Heading for Politicization?
- US Armed Forces Morale
- US Armed Forces Deployment for Law & Order Duties in Major US Cities--Political Opposition Building-up
