Every recruit in the British military must swear “allegiance to His Majesty King Charles.” In contrast, a person enlisting in the U.S. armed forces pledges to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Why the difference? Since its inception, the U.S. has deliberately chosen to be a nation governed by laws, not kings. This principle especially applies to the Constitution’s traditions regarding the military’s potentially dangerous powers.

What might the authors of the Constitution think if they had witnessed the recent speeches given by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump to their top military leaders? What impression would they form of the president’s actions to confront what he perceives as an “invasion from within” by sending troops to California,

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