Brown argued that deploying troops for domestic crime enforcement diverts the military from its primary combat role, warning that "it is not the military's job to save the republic from political impasses" and that asking too much of the armed forces risks undermining the institution.

While the article did not directly criticize President Trump, it came after the administration expanded military deployments to support law enforcement operations in major U.S. cities.

Brown, who was fired alongside former Navy chief Adm. Lisa Franchetti in 2025, also recently questioned the administration's removal of senior Pentagon officials, saying "what's starting to happen now is not about merit."

I'M HERE!!!

This country is the home of freedom, this is the land of liberty, and this is a flag that's the banner of the most extraordinary, most exceptional, most incredible nation ever to exist on the face of the earth, and we're doing better now than we've ever done before.

For 250 years, the United States of America has been the hope, the promise, the light, and the glory among all of the nations of the world.

All over the world, they try and be like us. Nobody can be like us.

And with God's help, we will always be this or even better.

This is an evening for the ages; I believe this is something very special.

We had lightning blaring but this is bigger, a little more inconvenient but it's bigger. I think in its own way it's more beautiful.

Communists haven't got a chance.

We don't want communists in our country.

We have equal justice under the law, although I wasn't treated that well, but we won't get into that.

The American dream is back, very strong and beautiful.

We use our military and we've had tremendous success.

You look at Venezuela. You look at Iran; we wiped it out, wiped out their military.

We have the banner that flew atop our flagship after America's Navy sank the Spanish fleet to the bottom of Manila Bay, one of the greatest naval victories in history.

Much like our recent victory by sinking the entire Iranian Navy, 159 ships, to the bottom of the sea. All done in just a moment's time; it happened very quickly.

We have the greatest military anywhere in the world.

America is a nation of winners, and today our country is winning again, and we're winning like never before.

America is back, and we want to keep America great, and we will do so by approving the SAVE America Act, which means all voters must show voter ID.

We are asserting the truth that American strength and power is not something to be ashamed of; they are something that we are very, very proud of.

This country has been the greatest force for peace and justice on earth.

In the last century we defeated tyrants, demolished evil, and saved freedom again and again and again.

Communism is a loser, and it always will be.

The communist system is the opposite of the American system. It has never worked.

Our warriors did not fight communism on battlefields across the world only to have that menace rear its ugly head right back here in America.

The Stars and Stripes cast the hammer and sickle into oblivion before.

We will do it again if necessary.

I don't think it's gonna be necessary. I think people have learned.

They've learned what to do and how to handle it, and we're going to handle it very well.

We're going to be going to Mars very soon. I think that's something that we do have in mind. We are gonna do the Moon and then Mars.

We're going to go to Mars, and we're going to continue to be way ahead.

We did Space Force. That was something I was very proud of, and some people smiled. They thought it was foolish, and now they are finding it's one of the most important things that we've done.

We were losing to China and to Russia in space, and now we're leading them by giant steps, and it's a great thing.

There is no challenge Americans cannot overcome. There is no place we cannot go. There is no goal we cannot reach, and there is nothing that Americans cannot do.

We're proving that right now.

Our stock market is the strongest it's ever been.

We have $19.2 trillion being invested in our country, which is six times more than ever happened before.

We're building more factories in the United States than ever before.

More people are working today in the United States than any time in the history of our country.

Our country is just getting started, because the best is yet to come. This is only the dawn of the Golden Age of America.

On this 250th Fourth of July, we declare, just as they did two and a half centuries ago, that for our country and for our children and for the cause of liberty, we are going to take our country to new levels, to levels not reached.

We're going to make it bigger, better, stronger, and we're going to love it even more.