Dear Allies: The Free Ride Is Over
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates speaks with Lt. Gen. John Allen and Gen. James N. Mattis. Wikimedia Commons/Public domain
Harvey M. Sapolsky
It may be hard, but it is not impossible for a confirmed and now old civilian like me to give advice to General James Mattis. Mattis has been a U.S. Marine for more than four decades and has just assumed the post as secretary of defense in the Trump administration. After all, he required a waiver in order to qualify for the job, and I would have been eligible without one.
To begin with, I would remind Secretary Mattis why we want a civilian to be in charge of the Defense Department. There are plenty of generals (and admirals) in the department who can give military advice to the president and manage the force. What is needed is a civilian who will worry about more than just the organizational health and military capabilities of the armed services. That person must also prioritize the financial and human resources the services need to perform their duties. We want resources invested in defense kept to a minimum because we have other public and private uses for them. Taxpayers, the families of service personnel, and all citizens concerned about individual liberty need representation in defense decisions. The military component of those decisions is already there in abundance.
Source URL (retrieved on January 23, 2017):
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/dear-allies-the-free-ride-over-19131
