Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a Tuesday interview that he is concerned that deploying National Guard troops to quell protests in large American cities could lead to a repeat of the “loss of life” that took place at Kent State University in 1970.
Asked about his biggest concern with having the National Guard and Marines deployed in cities like Los Angeles, Hagel told CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe, “The loss of life — like we saw in 1970, at Kent State.”
Hagel, a former Republican senator and Army veteran, noted that National Guard troops were likely insufficiently trained in 1970 to deal with student protesters.
‘The National Guard opened up on students and killed students — probably because they weren’t trained,” Hagel said, referring to the four students killed and nine injured when National Guard troops opened fire on the Kent State campus. “They panicked.”
O’Keefe asked Hagel what he thinks officers’ reactions are now when they hear President Trump suggest he might send troops into other cities.
“The concern that our top leadership will have, if this continues, is, ‘Am I going to get to the point where I may have to refuse a direct order to send in or give troops authority to do whatever,’ ” Hagel said.
“Contemplating a scenario like that is a career-ending decision,” he added.
Trump on Tuesday warned potential protesters who are planning to attend Saturday’s military parade in Washington, D.C., that they would be met with “very big force.”
“If there’s any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “For those people that want to protest, they will be met with very big force. And I haven’t even heard about a protest.”
