Why has the military been so silent as the Trump administration has pushed the bounds of law by deploying troops to aid immigration enforcement actions at home and attacking alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats abroad?

One chilling answer is that the Trump team has gutted the JAGs — judge advocate generals — who are supposed to advise commanders on the rule of law, including whether presidential orders are legal. Without these independent military lawyers backing them up, commanders have no recourse other than to comply or resign.

Pete Hegseth’s campaign against the military’s traditional legal structure has been one of the most-significant but least-reported aspects of his tenure as defense secretary. In February, he fired the top Army, Air Force and Navy lawyers, calling them “roadb

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