Fire the Generals!
A Case For Starting Over
I’m proud of my service, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. I had the honor of commanding at two levels. Serving alongside American servicemembers is one of G*d’s gifts. From talking about girls in the back of a Humvee to helping a jittery Airman nail a brief, my favorite time in the military was with the troops.
I loved being in the military and fighting the wars—I really did. Nothing ever felt so right as being downrange. Living with the Pashtuns in Kandahar taught me so much about life. My two years in Kabul were a delight, even though they were infuriating.
Even after two lost wars and the abandonment of our Afghan allies, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love the United States military—warts and all.
And that’s why the next Secretary of Defense, be it Pete Hegseth or anyone else, should clean house in the Department of Defense and throughout America’s Intelligence Community (IC).
Let’s take a look at the Department of Defense’s recent track record shall we:
Afghanistan - the troops performed miraculously during the fall of Kabul. The noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO)/Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome were incredible logistical achievements. Nevertheless, the world watched us skedaddle, leaving a generation of Afghans under the oppressive rule of a gender apartheid regime. It was a spectacular military defeat. And nobody has been held accountable. Nobody.
Ukraine Counteroffensive—The Ukrainian counteroffensive failed for various reasons, but the Department of Defense’s handprints are all over this one, too. Much like the DoD did with Afghanistan, they’re blaming the Ukrainians for not listening to their sage advice. It’s funny how it’s always our ally's fault for mistakes they make. We never hold ourselves accountable. These mistakes have consequences. The DoD's inability to help Ukraine achieve a modicum of success will now lead to a likely armistice on terms favorable to Russia. Who has been held accountable? Nobody.
Iraq—We lost the Iraq War. Yes, yes, I know they have elections and everything. But again, is anyone planning a vacation to Baghdad soon? President Obama’s withdrawal, led by then General Lloyd Austin, from Iraq was an unmitigated disaster that led to the Islamic State’s pro-terrorist state. Who was held accountable for that? Nobody.
9-11—Yes, let’s bring that up too. Who inside the intelligence community paid a price for letting that happen? Was George Tenet held responsible? Was anyone fired? Nobody. Instead, we created the waste of space known as the Department of Homeland Security and the utterly useless Director of National Intelligence position. LOL.
There are other screw-ups, too. But those are the big four since the turn of the century—and nobody has paid a price. Absolutely nobody. Ladies and gentlemen, your national security state must be held accountable for its mistakes. We don’t win wars anymore. We manage them.
The Department of Defense and America’s sprawling intelligence community must be changed. Everything should be on the table. Everything. When you lose a war that began with an attack on the homeland, nobody’s job should be safe. The Department of Defense and the IC failed. Period. Full stop.
The most important questions are what comes after and who will be picked. A generation of Iraqi and Afghan field-grade officers could be plucked to become generals. Ulysses S. Grant started the Civil War as a Colonel. Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower quickly became General Eisenhower during World War. It’s time for a new generation of American officers to lead with two goals: being lethal and winning wars. That’s it.
The intelligence community needs to be trimmed. It overclassifies everything, creating more bureaucracy and more headaches for every commander. America’s intelligence professionals are overworked and often poorly led by career bureaucrats. There’s a mental health crisis wrecking America’s intelligence professionals because they fear talking about anything with anyone. When you can’t tell people what you do at work, it’s hard to feel at home in your own country. While the IC is good at hunting and killing people, they don’t understand their enemies because analytical expertise in specific target sets isn’t as desirable as warheads on foreheads.
Should President Trump finally decide to hold people accountable, I’ll clap loudly and pray that some of my friends still in service are plucked to lead our servicemembers to victory. Change isn’t always necessarily a bad thing. What comes next will be very important. But, for this GCV, I’m cautiously optimistic.
Until Next Time
Pete is a combat veteran. Agree with him or not but you should mention that.
Although I understand your anger, hurt and frustration, and overwhelming sadness, I do not trust that the upcoming administration will have the moral compass and experience to make nonpolitical decisions. Pete Hegseth has never been responsible for more than maybe a few dozen people at a time, has no national experience, but you would be okay with him as Secretary of Defense? Sure, he has vowed to "clean house" but what does that mean? He doesn't think women should be in combat roles and he has disdain for trans servicemen and women. He persuaded Trump to pardon armed service members who had been accused of war crimes. I think he is a bad choice.
Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence? Can she get a security clearance? Would our allies be comfortable sharing national secrets with her?
And Matt Gaetz... if the Republicans have any sense of decency or competency they will not confirm a man who has no experience as a prosecutor, and who is a reprehensible and repugnant individual.
I have great admiration for our armed forces and gratitude for the people who serve to protect the Constitution. They deserve better than those nominees. Any reorganization or clarification of roles and enforcement of personal responsibility has to be led by someone who does not intend to use a chainsaw.