In this TIME essay, Elliot Ackerman argues that President Donald Trump’s pardons and interventions in the cases of Clint Lorance, Mathew Golsteyn, and Edward Gallagher misunderstood the foundations of military service and weakened battlefield accountability.

Discipline, Not Impunity

Ackerman challenges the claim that pardons give service members confidence to fight. He argues that confidence comes from training, lawful authority, and discipline. When troops shoot civilians, execute prisoners, or disregard command standards, they are no longer operating within the ethical framework that distinguishes combat from killing.

Undermining Military Leadership

The essay examines how Trump’s actions overruled commanders seeking to preserve good order and discipline. Ackerman contends that supporting warfighters does not mean protecting them from accountability, especially when military leaders themselves have determined that misconduct threatens the integrity of their units.

The Civil-Military Divide

Ackerman connects the pardons to a broader misunderstanding of military service. Treating service members as “killing machines” separates them from the society they serve and ignores the responsibility of civilians who authorize, fund, and politically sustain America’s wars.

Defiling the Uniform

The essay concludes that honoring veterans cannot mean celebrating misconduct. Ackerman warns that allowing those accused or convicted of grave offenses to be presented as heroes damages the uniform, military institutions, and the moral legitimacy of American force.

Read the Original Essay

Read “President Trump’s Pardons of Soldiers Shows How Little He Knows About War” at TIME →