Wars, Pandemic, Insurrection, U.F.O.s: Gen. Mark Milley’s Term Had It All

“When there’s an opportunity to negotiate, when peace can be achieved, seize it,” he says.

The remarks cause a furor: Ukrainians worry that the Biden administration is preparing to abandon them, and White House officials scramble to reassure them that U.S. support remains solid.

Feb. 11, 2023

The text from a reporter comes to General Milley’s phone at 9:27 on a Saturday morning.

For the third time in less than a week, NORAD is tracking an unidentified flying object over North America. This one is over the Yukon in Canada. U.S. fighter jets shot down the two others: a Chinese spy balloon, and who knows what.

“It’s an alien, isn’t it,?” the text says.

The general replies, “Not aliens!”

Aug. 21, 2023

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a yearly show where troops clad in full ancient fighting kit including kilts, sporran, drums and bagpipes, put on a show at a centuries-old castle that has turned into a 90-minute farewell salute to America’s senior general.

General Milley, in full military dress and white gloves, is in the guest-of-honor seat, in a crowd of thousands. As each group concludes its performance, a single green light in the darkened arena shines on the general, and he stands up, at attention. Each succession of troops stops to salute him. The green light goes off, and he sits back down.

Sept. 22, 2023

Mr. Trump has his own farewell salute for General Milley.

In a Truth Social post, Mr. Trump says the general’s retirement “will be a time for all Americans to celebrate!” He calls General Milley a “woke train wreck” and complains about the general’s calls with his Chinese counterpart. “This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!”

Mr. Trump concludes, “To be continued!”