The Donald Trump campaign released a letter signed by 88 retired military officials endorsing the Republican presidential nominee, charging that a "long-overdue course correction in our national security posture and policy" is needed.
The letter comes as Trump is set to face Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in a national security forum sponsored by NBC and MSNBC on Wednesday, The New York Times noted.
"For the past eight years, America's armed forces have been subjected to a series of ill-considered and debilitating budget cuts, policy choices and combat operations that have left the superb men and women in uniform less capable of performing their vital missions in the future than we require them to be," the letter stated.
"Simultaneously, enemies of this country have been emboldened, sensing weakness and irresolution in Washington and opportunities for aggression at our expense and that of other freedom-loving nations," the letter continued.
Army Maj. Gen. Sidney Shachnow and Navy Rear Adm. Charles Williams put together the letter that favors Trump, The Times said.
"It is a great honor to have such amazing support from so many distinguished retired military leaders," Trump said in a statement released by the campaign. "I thank each of them for their service and their confidence in me to serve as commander-in-chief.
"Keeping our nation safe and leading our armed forces is the most important responsibility of the presidency. Under my administration, we will end the weak foreign policy of the last eight years, rebuild our military, give our troops clear rules of engagement and take care of our veterans when they come home. We can only Make America Great Again if we ensure our military remains the finest fighting force in the world, and that’s exactly what I will do as president," Trump's statement continued.
In August, a different list of military and foreign policy experts, including some Republicans, denounced Trump in an open letter in The Washington Post.
That group took issue with Trump's statement casting doubt on whether he would honor the U.S. commitment to NATO allies if they should be attacked and his position to consider recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea, the letter said.
"Trump’s ill-considered statements have already sown doubt in the minds of our European partners as to whether they can count on American resolve, commitment, and strength in the future," the letter in the Post stated.
"Those statements also threaten to weaken our collective deterrence against Vladimir Putin from further territorial aggression in Europe after his invasions of Ukraine and Georgia. If Trump’s policy was implemented, it would undermine the essential credibility of the United States in Europe and around the world," the letter continued.
Retired Army Lt. Gen Michael T. Flynn told the Times, though, that the letter supporting Trump "came together organically," and that he thinks it carries more weight than the letter supporting Clinton in the Post.
"We had to stop accepting names because we were running out of time," Flynn told the Times. "These were people that have been passing us ideas from national security to education ideas."