Trump naming many generals to the Cabinet is remarkable in itself. In my opinion, it is just another step in the erosion of confidence in the government's, or even in private institution's, competence in serving the nation. The military, and by implication GOs, are the only institution viewed in a positive light by poll numbers. It is being used where it shouldn't thanks to a failure in overall operational/diplomatic policy since 2001 and now its leaders are being employed in light of the failure of individuals within the political elite.
I think that's likely true. I also hope that perhaps, having just gone through a period when civilians were micromanaging the military, we may be in need of a corrective period where warfighters reorient DoD, and the uniformed services in particular. Of course, that justification doesn't apply to Flynn or Kelly, although I think Kelly is a great choice for Homeland. He'll transition to being a civilian very well, I think.
Don't know about the Secretaries of the Army/Air Force, but Ray Mabus is absolutely despised by uniformed leadership in both the Navy and Marine Corps. Morale is cratering, and needs to be fixed. Very interesting to see who gets appointed as SecNav, SecArmy, and SecAF. Any guys you'd favor for SecArmy?
I may write a lot more on this as it is something worth understanding. But, in the short term, give me a day or two to really flesh out what I see as priorities and where I hope Mattis will buck the trend of Trump appointees being put in place to undercut the very departments their are supposed to helm, and, coincidentally, why Mattis may not last long in this administration.
If Mattis goes, that will be a very bad sign. My
hope is that Trump will essentially delegate more than most when it comes to the military, so conflicts won't arise.
If you're going to write on this, I think it is very interesting to note that the wars in which we've been involved have required much more in the way of diplomatic/civilian skills by our general officers than is usual. They haven't just been guys great at taking hills, but rather have had to build alliances, understand cultures and the Muslim world, etc.. And I suspect those general officers who have been involved at the ground level likely have a greater understanding of all that than most civilian experts. They need to be both Ike and Patton. In a sense, that's our absolute best training program for understanding that region.
For example, it's interesting how much emphasis Mattis has placed on the Palestinian issue. He's firmly convinced that solving that problem will help everything else quite a bit. He supports a two state solution and opposes settlements. It's kind of outside his portfolio, but a very useful perspective for Trump to have, and Mattis brings an unusual level of credibility in terms of how it directly impacts U.S. interests.
@jking948
In any case, I've never before been in a position where I know personally a member of the cabinet (Gen. Kelly), and I admit it is somewhat comforting to think that Trump was able to recognize and reward that kind of talent/professionalism. As you likely remember, I've been singing that man's praises on here for years. There's the one reported story where he handed his own pistol to an Iraqi general who handed his over to General Kelly when surrendering, and said it was time to work together.
We
badly need guys in responsible positions who think like that.
