How does that prevent coups? Like the reason a military coup works is because th... | Hacker News

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pfannkuchen on April 7, 2025 | parent | context | favorite | on: How the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg Got Added to t...

How does that prevent coups? Like the reason a military coup works is because the military has a shitload of weapons. How does having the secretary of defense not able to be in on a military coup prevent a military coup?

At that point they’re bringing an org chart to a gun fight.

meigwilym on April 7, 2025 [–]

Probably to stop the personality. Coups are often driven by "soldiers loyal to...". Having a civilian in the role would pre-empt that.

OTOH a waiver undoes all of that. It shows how much of democracy depends on people following conventions and traditions.

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