I had wondered how the Obama Purge of the military officer corps would begin. Cllinton used the Tailhook convention and carried out a Purge first of the Navy then of all the services. Experienced officers above O-4 were cashiered or forced into useless corners. Leftists never trust the militarty and certainly not the military in place when they accede to power. They especially do not trust field experienced officers and will strive to replace them with personally loyal bureaucrats and nonentities. The Clinton Purge was a large part of the reason that Iraq bogged down so badly after the initial victory. There was no real success until the combat capable junior officers came up through the ranks on the battlefield to replace the Clinton desk jockeys.
This could indeed be a purge. If a clampdown is imminent, the first thing its leaders would wish to do is ensure that the nation’s nuclear arsenal is under the control of generals and admirals who are personally loyal to the leaders.
In the end, however, the success of a clampdown depends upon the willingness of the U.S. soldier or Marine to fire upon U.S. citizens. Our armed forces have been employed against American citizens on several occasions; there is no reason to believe most soldiers today would balk at shooting you or me if so ordered.