Esper Opposes

 From Military.com:

“Esper Says He Opposes Sending Active-Duty Troops Into Streets to Quell Protests”

Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday issued a remarkably strong statement in apparent opposition to the president, saying he opposes invoking the Insurrection Act and sending active-duty troops into the streets at this time to quell violent protests. In a Pentagon briefing, Esper broke his lengthy silence regarding the surge of protests nationwide following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed Minneapolis man, in the custody of a white police officer. President Donald Trump warned this week that he was ready to have active-duty troops maintain order on the streets if state governors were not up to the task. Already, more than 20,000 National Guard troops have been activated to support law enforcement officers in cities across the country. "I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act," Esper said, adding that it was intended to be used in times when order had completely broken down. "We are not in one of those situations now." Esper said the Guard was best suited to back up local law enforcement. "The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations," he said, adding that, in his judgment, the unrest nationwide has not reached that point. "It is not something we seek to do," he said of the use of the military in law enforcement. At times, however, the military can be asked "to maintain law and order so that other Americans can exercise their rights," he added. Esper also said he regrets urging governors to "dominate the battlespace" against protesters in a Monday call with the president. The SecDef has come under fire from retired four-star generals and others for those remarks. "In retrospect, I would use different wording," Esper said, adding that "battlespace" is a typical term used in the military and used to describe "a bounded area of operations." "It's not a phrase focused on people, and certainly not on our fellow Americans, as some have suggested," he said. Esper began the 20-minute Pentagon news conference with expressions of sympathy for Floyd's family and pledges of the military's commitment to defending First Amendment and civil rights while eliminating racism in the ranks. "With greatest sympathy, I want to extend the deepest of condolences to the family and friends of George Floyd from me and the department," he said. "Racism is real in America, and we must all do our very best to recognize it, confront it and eradicate it."

^ I’m glad there is someone (Esper) in the White House who actually seems to have a clue and that he is speaking up. ^

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/06/03/esper-says-he-opposes-sending-active-duty-troops-streets-quell-protests.html