Why it's a bad idea to use airborne infantry as riot police

We should welcome Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s order on Thursday to return elements of the 82nd Airborne Division from Washington, D.C., to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Had those forces been deployed onto D.C. streets, the consequences for the city and civilian-military relations might have been catastrophic.

Combat infantry units are not designed for policing, riot control, or the provision of support to civil authorities. These units, especially airborne ones such as the 82nd, are designed to kill the enemy with speed and efficiency. And they are very, very, very good at it.