Retired General Calls Trump’s Defense Policy “Messyanic,” Not Messianic
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Donald_Trump_at_Aston,_PA_September_37th.jpg">Michael Vadon</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons
INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed Jeffrey Schloesser.
In a recent interview, retired U.S. Army General Jeff Schloesser described Donald Trump’s defense policy as “Messyanic”—a term he coined to characterize the former president’s erratic and deeply personal approach to national security. Unlike “Messianic,” which implies grand vision or moral clarity, “Messyanic” suggests an often reactive, emotionally charged policy defined by inconsistency and self-interest.
Schloesser pointed to the contradictory nature of Trump’s recent military decisions. Trump shifted from downplaying the need for military engagement with Iran to ordering direct airstrikes using bunker-busting bombs—a dramatic and unprecedented escalation that left many in the defense community questioning the underlying strategy.
The General also noted Trump’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric toward Russia, a sharp departure from his earlier posture. What emerges, Schloesser suggested, is a pattern of unpredictable swings—rhetorical and tactical—that complicate traditional diplomacy and strain alliances. Yes, it is effective towards destabling enemies, but it might be doing the same with allies.
Schloesser emphasized that “Messyanic” captures the essence of a defense policy that appears at once nationalistic and interventionist—but ultimately rooted in what appears to be personal grievance and even impulse, rather than doctrine or strategic coherence.
Schloesser also pointed out that Trump’s unorthodox approach has clearly had successes. This includes getting US allies investing in NATO at a level we have never seen in the organization’s history.
According to a statement, “Major General Jeffrey Schloesser (US Army Ret) author of Marathon War: Leadership in Combat in Afghanistan.
“From Major General Jeffrey Schloesser—former Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division and Regional Command-East—comes a revealing memoir of leadership in the chaos and fog of the Afghanistan War.
“Join Major General Schloesser in the daily grind of warfare fought in the most forbidding of terrain, with sometimes uncertain or untested allies, Afghan corruption and Pakistani bet-hedging, and the mounting casualties of war which erode and bring into question Schloesser’s most profoundly held convictions and beliefs. Among several battles, Schloesser takes readers deep into the Battle of Wanat, where nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a fierce, up-close fight to prevent a new operating base from being overrun. This encounter required Schloesser to make tactical decisions that had dramatic strategic impact, and led him to doubts: Can this war even be won? If so, what will it take?”This book is a rare insight and reflection into the thoughts of critical national decision-makers including President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, then-Senator Barack Obama, and numerous foreign leaders including Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Key military leaders—including then Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, then Central Command Commanding General David Petraeus, then Lieutenant General and future Chairman Martin Dempsey, and International Security Force Commander General David McKiernan—all play roles in the book, among many others, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley and Army Chief of Staff General James McConville. Analyzing their leadership in the chaos of war Schloesser ultimately concludes that successful leadership in combat is best based on competence, courage, and character
The book is “Marathon War: Leadership in Combat in Afghanistan.”
“BIO: Jeff Schloesser is a retired Army Major General who commanded the 101st Airborne Division for thirty-three months, including fifteen months in combat in Afghanistan. In his thirty-four-year Army career he served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Albania, Kuwait, Haiti, Jordan, Korea, and twice in Germany.
“He was an assistant division commander in the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq 2003-04, the first Global War on Terrorism Planning Director in the Pentagon after 9/11, and the first Deputy Director at the National Counterterrorism Center for Strategic Operational Planning.
“An aviator, Jeff commanded two battalions of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and a brigade task force in Albania and Kosovo.
“He resides with his wife Patty in Park City, Utah, and northern Virginia. He has completed thirty-eight marathons.”
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