Retired Adm. William McRaven argued in an op-ed Thursday that President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE is "destroying" the United States, warning that the future of the country is "in peril" if Trump is not removed from office.

McRaven, former commander of U.S. Special Operations, wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, "Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President." In it, he argues that Trump is launching "assaults" on various U.S. institutions: "on the intelligence and law enforcement community, the State Department and the press."

ADVERTISEMENT

"They have seen our leaders stand beside despots and strongmen, preferring their government narrative to our own. They have seen us abandon our allies and have heard the shouts of betrayal from the battlefield," McRaven said of veterans who attended an Office of Strategic Services Society gala which McRaven attended.

"As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general, grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, 'I don’t like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!' " McRaven wrote.

McRaven went on to suggest that Trump's conduct in the Oval Office could lead to lower military recruitment numbers, as young Americans would distrust the Trump administration and future presidents.

"If our promises are meaningless, how will our allies ever trust us? If we can’t have faith in our nation’s principles, why would the men and women of this nation join the military? And if they don’t join, who will protect us?" he wrote.

McRaven served as commander of U.S. Special Operations Command from 2011 to 2014, and later served as chancellor of the University of Texas school system.