From my own observations and research, the recruitment of former military personnel into police forces is not just about valuing skills but about ensuring continuity in enforcing certain power structures. Veterans are often deeply ingrained with an ideology and training that emphasizes obedience, hierarchical control, and a readiness to use force, which easily translates into domestic policing strategies meant to control rather than protect. Recruitment campaigns, such as those by the New York State Police that explicitly seek former military and National Guard members, indicate a systemic preference for personnel already conditioned to enforce authority through violence and suppression. This creates a pipeline where lessons learned in foreign conflicts—often underpinned by racial and economic domination—are brought back to local communities. The capacity to exercise extreme force against marginalized groups domestically mirrors how violence was applied abroad during imperialist wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, the military's function abroad is often misrepresented as national defense but more accurately serves to sustain global white supremacy and capitalism. This ideological framework does not vanish when soldiers return home; instead, it is repurposed towards maintaining and enforcing similar systems on American soil. Police forces, therefore, act as an extension of imperialist violence, targeting impoverished and oppressed communities, reinforcing existing inequalities. Understanding this connection is crucial for those interested in social justice and reform. It highlights why so many calls for police abolition or transformation stress the need to address the systemic roots of policing culture, deeply intertwined with militarized violence and control mechanisms established during wartime. Acknowledging how military service primes individuals for these roles unearths the broader structural changes required to dismantle oppressive systems both at home and abroad.