PEP Condemns Trump’s Plan to Use U.S. Cities as Military Training Grounds

The Peace Economy Project strongly condemns President Donald Trump’s dangerous proposal to use American cities as “training grounds” for U.S. troops.

Turning neighborhoods into military exercises violates the Posse Comitatus Act, undermines civil authority, and erodes the constitutional protections that safeguard democracy. American communities are not warzones, and treating them as such risks civilian harm, escalates mistrust, and sets a precedent for authoritarian overreach.

This proposal is not about safety — it is about militarizing domestic life and silencing dissent. Communities like Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, and beyond deserve investment in housing, healthcare, and education, not occupation by combat troops. Trump’s plan threatens to permanently blur the line between war abroad and peace at home.

We call on Congress, governors, and civil society to reject this proposal outright. The U.S. military must remain outside partisan politics and off our streets. Peaceful, thriving communities cannot coexist with war rehearsals in their neighborhoods.

Instead of militarizing our streets, we must redirect federal resources to build a true peace economy — one that strengthens our democracy, invests in people, and ensures security through justice, not force.