A retired three-star U.S. Army commander has accused President Donald Trump of breaking an unwritten rule of military leadership with a combative address to hundreds of America’s top officers, saying the remarks publicly demeaned subordinates and crossed a boundary senior leaders are taught to respect. Former Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, who once led U.S. Army Europe, said the principle is simple: “You praise in public and you discipline in private.” He argued Trump’s performance at Marine Corps Base Quantico — delivered to a rare, short-notice assembly of flag officers and their senior enlisted advisers — amounted to a public chastisement designed for the cameras rather than a closed-door session on readiness or strategy.
Trump spoke to roughly 800 generals, admirals and command sergeants major gathered in northern Virginia on September 30, following an earlier speech by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The event, convened by Hegseth and billed as a focus on “warrior ethos,” was unusual for its scale, the short summons and the decision to pair the defense chief’s directives with a presidential appearance. Senior leaders travel periodically for conferences, but officials and reporters noted that pulling so many global commanders to one place with little advance explanation is rare.
Opening with a nod to the room’s silence, Trump quickly set an edge. “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. But, there goes your rank and there goes your future,” he told the assembled officers, drawing nervous laughter. He had previewed the same posture hours earlier, telling reporters, “If I don’t like somebody, I’m gonna fire them right on the spot.” The remarks drew scrutiny from retired commanders who said trust between civilian leaders and senior officers is foundational and easily damaged by public threats.
Hertling, appearing on television and in posts to social media after the event, said many in the audience would return to their commands and parse what was lawful and executable — and what was not — but that the tone and setting were misjudged. “Once again I’m reminded, trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets,” he wrote, calling the spectacle embarrassing for professionals who are trained to absorb criticism privately and deliver accountability within their chains of command. He added that no one in uniform should expect officers to carry out illegal orders, a line he has used repeatedly when asked about directives that would place troops in conflict with their oath.