Author Phil Klay says Trump has been willing to politicize the military to push his partisan agenda before, and is likely to further erode norms around the military as he looks for those willing to "go with his whims." Klay is a Marine Corps veteran and National Book Award-winning writer. Also, John Powers on the Spanish language movie musical Emilia Pérez. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Support for npr.
And the following message come from Chevron.
Chevron's offshore platform, Anchor, is designed to help safely produce oil and natural gas with high pressure technology.
That's energy in progress.
Visit chevron.com anchor this message comes from DSW.
Where'd you get those shoes?
Easy.
They're from DSW because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now.
You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you, from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between because you do it all in really great shoes.
Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com this is FRESH AIR.
I'm Tanya Moseley, and my guest today, Phil Kley has written extensively over the years about the human cost of war by drawing on his experiences as a Marine Corps veteran serving in Iraq.
His writing examines the moral complexities of combat, including the disconnect between soldiers and civilians.
This Veterans Day, Kly is reflecting on the future of our military, from the policies we could expect from the incoming Trump administration to our nation's support of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
There's still a lot we don't know about Trump's plans, but throughout the campaign, he has given us a vision that could dramatically shift the role of our military in society.
He's pledged to recall thousands of American troops from overseas and station them at the US Border with Mexico.
He's also spoken about using troops to round up and deport undocumented immigrants and weeding out military officers who are ideologically opposed to him.
Phil Kley has written several books and short story collections, including Redeployment, for which he won a National Book Award in 2014, which takes readers to the front lines of the war in Iraq, asking us to understand what happened to the soldiers who returned.
His short essay collection, Uncertain Ground, further examines the complex relationship between American society and its military engagements, arguing that most Americans are largely unaware of our ongoing conflicts.
And that disconnect has created a moral blind spot in American society.
Phil Kley, welcome back to FRESH air.