A possible civil war will arise if the results of the 2024 presidential election were not accepted by some in the military, this is how the three retired US army generals warned the public on Friday.

Retired Major Generals Paul D. Eaton and Antonio M. Taguba joined retired Brigadier General Steven M. Anderson urged today’s leaders to act to prevent such scenes, calling on today’s leaders to “war-game” an attempted coup.

During an op-ed for The Washington Post released on Friday, the three military leaders said:

“We … are increasingly concerned about the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election and the potential for lethal chaos inside our military,” the generals write in the op-ed, published Friday afternoon. “In short: We are chilled to our bones at the thought of a coup succeeding next time.”

Just over two weeks from now will be the anniversary of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, during which thousands of Mr. Trump’s supporters stormed Congress in a bid to stop legislators from confirming Joe Biden’s presidential victory. A congressional committee is now in the midst of investigating the day’s events.

They pointed out that the generals’ point to signs of politicization within the military. A large number of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, for instance, are current or former members of the armed forces.

“In a contested election, with loyalties split, some might follow orders from the rightful commander-in-chief, while others might follow the Trumpian loser. Arms might not be secured depending on who was overseeing them. Under such a scenario, it is not outlandish to say a military breakdown could lead to civil war,” they write. “In this context, with our military hobbled and divided, U.S. security would be crippled. Any one of our enemies could take advantage by launching an all-out assault on our assets or our allies.”

They also encouraged the Department of Defense to simulate a possible rebellion or coup attempt after the 2024 presidential election in order to “identify and address weak points

The generals voiced worry about the fact that certain veterans and current service troops were participating in the assault of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and expressed concern about how broader society’s differences may effect military members.

“The possibility of a complete breakdown of the chain of command along partisan lines – from the top to the squad level – is high if another insurgency occurs,” the generals stated. “The possibility of renegade forces banding together to assist the ‘proper’ commander in chief cannot be discounted.”

“Consider rival commanders in chief — a freshly elected Biden delivering commands, vs Trump (or another Trump figure) issuing commands as the leader of a shadow government,” they said. “Worse still, consider state and federal leaders fraudulently installing a defeated presidential candidate.”

Sources: Wayne Dupree, Daily Mail, News Week, The Globe and Mail, Yahoo News