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The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff reminded the Army Tuesday of its oath to uphold the Constitution following the attacks on the Capitol building last week.
The letter was addressed to the Joint Force, which is comprised of approximately 1.3 million active duty service members and more of 811,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists, all of whom swore to “Support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” The oath has been kept since the founding of the United States almost 250 years ago.
“The violent riot in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021 was a direct assault on the United States Congress, the Capitol Building, and our constitutional process, ”says the memorandum, reported by NPR. “We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were incompatible with the rule of law. The rights of freedom of expression and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection. ”
The Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized in the letter that President-elect Joe Biden will take office on 20, becoming the 46 ° Commander-in-Chief, and that any act that interrupts the constitutional process not only violates military values, but also the law.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is made up of the eight most important military officers in the country. Includes the president and vice president, the Commander of the Infantry of the Navy, the chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Operations and the Office of the National Guard. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley , was appointed by President Donald Trump last December . He and the other members are military advisers to the President, the Secretary of Defense and the Council of National security.
