I’m going to have to disagree with a number of people I respect. It’s good, for this time, that American generals John Kelly, James Mattis, and H. R. McMaster are together working at the apex of American civilian government. It’s good, for this time, that these same men are operating as a check on the most erratic and ill-informed president in modern American history, and maybe ever.

Yes, there are serious men, such former Bush-administration adviser Eliot Cohen and Naval War College professor Tom Nichols, who’ve made the case that Trump’s reliance on an unusual number of generals represents a dangerous break with precedent. These men know their craft, and their warnings resonate. Cohen fears a clash between Kelly’s “hard code” and the moral corruption of the Trump White House. Nichols raises alarms about the consequences of calling in generals to “save” the executive branch when future generals may well lack the qualities of Kelly, Mattis, and McMaster. (Indeed, Michael Flynn comes immediately to mind.)

National Review’s own Elliot Kaufman outlined the danger to public respect and trust for the military. The officer corps is one of America’s most respected institutions not just because of their valor on the battlefield but also because of their scrupulous nonpartisanship. Most Americans view the military as apolitical, and the instant that changes, support for our fighting men and women may well plunge.