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One of the downsides of presidents who served as junior officers is that they have an automatic and ingrained respect for the general staff. In normal times this would be a good thing. In our age of failed elites in every institution, this is not a good thing. Trump is not a veteran but he shows similar signs of giving respect where it may not be due.
We all remember when studying the Civil War in high school that President Lincoln had difficulty in finding generals who could actually fight. The phrase "Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon" in the 90s gave notice that there was still a problem at the top of the general staff of the US military. Last week we saw a denunciation of General Milley, recently Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, openly expecting he will face administrative consequences for his defiance of his president.
Gone are the days when a fighting man could sneak into the ranks of generals. It's all politicians and academics now, all the way down. The only exceptions give rise to despair.
I remember watching with disbelief the press conference during which Defense Secretary Austin and General Milley announced the retreat from Afghanistan. They expected to be congratulated for the professional manner in which they presided over the tail tucking and running. What sort of bubble do these men live in that they thought the press would be sympathetic to their role in this disaster?
I hope a newly returned President Trump begins with a swath of immediate revocations of top secret clearances for retired general staff officers. Pursue court martial where appropriate. Cut deep. Leave an institutional memory of pain that leads to better behavior in the future. Our country will be better for it.
Discussion (16)
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For an excellent read on how to deal with incompetence in military leadership, try The Generals by Thomas E. Ricks.
Eisenhower never seemed to have any issues with sending the bad ones home.
Amazon.com: The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today: 9780143124092: Ricks, Thomas E.: Books
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There should be a ribbon for resisting woke directives.
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I take issue with your premise. As a former junior officer I am naturally suspicious of anyone field grade or higher. Any POTUS has to be suspicious of entrenched senior staffers, military or otherwise. At least those with military service have an understanding of the military issues, unlike, for example, BHO’s entire White House team.
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It's amazing how familiarity breeds contempt.
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I am aiming that first paragraph directly at Bush 41, who assigned the task of setting the (Political) terms of the end of the first Gulf War (1991) to General Schwarzkopf. The General presided over a (Military) ceasefire that betrayed our allied Marsh Arabs to extinction, left Saddam Hussain in power, and settled nothing.
It was left to the literal next generation (Bush 43) to fight a second Gulf War (2003) to settle the matter. Bush 41 giving way to the General Staff to settle a political decision was the biggest political mistake of my lifetime.
Bush 41 served as a lieutenant in World War II, with great bravery, and rose no further in the ranks. I wonder if no service at all would have better prepared him to serve as Commander in Chief, where he served as the ultimate boss of all Generals.
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