The Briefing Room

General Category => Military/Defense News => Topic started by: rangerrebew on January 09, 2019, 01:29:01 pm

Title: The Business Of Running The Pentagon: Shanahan's Abilities May Not Determine His Success
Post by: rangerrebew on January 09, 2019, 01:29:01 pm

EDITOR'S PICK217 viewsJan 8, 2019, 01:59pm
The Business Of Running The Pentagon: Shanahan's Abilities May Not Determine His Success
Michael Krepon
 

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)ASSOCIATED PRESS

Patrick Shanahan, Donald Trump's choice to be "Acting" Secretary of Defense, is stepping into a damn-near impossible job. The first Secretary of Defense, James Forrestal, suffered a nervous breakdown and committed suicide. The recently deceased Harold Brown, probably the brightest Secretary of Defense ever, excelled at managing big defense research projects, prompting Jimmy Carter to offer him the Pentagon's top job. Two months after leaving it in 1981 he delivered a speech titled, “ ‘Managing’ the Defense Department — Why It Can’t Be Done.”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkrepon/2019/01/08/the-business-of-running-the-pentagon-shanahans-abilities-may-not-determine-his-success/#73ad602168b7 (https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkrepon/2019/01/08/the-business-of-running-the-pentagon-shanahans-abilities-may-not-determine-his-success/#73ad602168b7)