U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stand next to U.S. President Donald Trump, while he attends U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility to meet with police and the military, after deploying National Guard troops in the nation's capital, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 21, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

In an article for Just Security published Monday, former Under Secretary of the Navy Janine Davidson argued that President Donald Trump’s recent “call to arms” is a deliberate and dangerous bid to mobilize the military against his domestic political adversaries.

“A Trump-led deployment of federalized Guard and active-duty troops to quell a fabricated insurrection inside American cities, should only be understood as war on the American people," she wrote.

Davidson contended that Trump staged a high‑profile gathering of hundreds of military leaders at Quantico not to debate internal policies but to deliver a message: that the armed forces are to be prepared for deployment on U.S. soil against what he terms an “enemy from within.”

"While many may want to write off the day as embarrassing and clownish, it was also a highly dangerous turning point – one that too many political leaders and everyday Americans are not marking for what it is," she said of the gathering.

Davidson warned that by labeling left‑wing protesters “insurrectionists” and invoking the Insurrection Act, Trump is threatening to bypass norms that prevent the military from being used as a tool of political coercion.

She pointed to a pattern of federalizing National Guard units (in states such as California, Oregon, Texas) and sending active-duty troops into U.S. cities, despite the Posse Comitatus Act’s restrictions on military involvement in civilian law enforcement — to show that this rhetoric is matched by real actions. She noted that Trump is seeking to invert the traditional role of the U.S. military, turning it into an instrument to quash dissent at home, erode democratic norms, and impose his will on states and cities.

Davidson argued that the generals and admirals present at Quantico clearly understood the stakes: that refusing to fall in line could jeopardize their careers. She warned that for the rest of the country, the moment demands serious attention to the balance between constitutional government and military authority.

"What is at stake for the rest of us? It’s time to pay attention," she wrote.

The Trump administration is actively deploying and attempting to deploy military forces — chiefly National Guard units — into U.S. cities, while facing legal challenges and resistance from state governments.

The Pentagon announced it is reassigning about 200 federalized California National Guard troops from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon, to support federal agents and protect federal property.

A federal judge in Oregon has issued a temporary restraining order halting the deployment of Oregon’s own National Guard to Portland, ruling there is insufficient justification for military intervention in the city.