New directive permitting military intervention in US domestic affairs

US military now to assist domestic law enforcement authorities in domestic disturbances

The Biden administration has issued a directive one month before the US presidential election that will allow the US military to use lethal force against US citizens domestically.

The directive can be downloaded here.

This issuance applies to OSD, the Military Departments, the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Defense, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, and all other organizational entities within the DoD.

Under section 1.k(3). the president, through the secretary of defense can bypass the congress in calling out the military. This is a very interesting directive at this time. This could have consequences upon;

·        Right to protest: There are fears that expanded authority could suppress legitimate protests.

·        Privacy rights: Increased military involvement in domestic intelligence gathering could infringe on privacy.

·        Due process: The military’s role in law enforcement could bypass standard due process protections.

·        Freedom of speech: The broad definition of “national security threats” could target individuals for their political beliefs.

·        Civilian control: The expanded military role could erode civilian oversight of the military.

This directive has not been the basis of any assistance by the military in the current hurricane disaster in North Carolina to domestic authorities. It will be interesting to see why such a directive has been enacted now.  

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