Facing the rising prospect of a major conflict with China, the nation needs senior military leaders who are, well, superb leaders.
We’re not getting that leadership.
The problem starts with the most senior military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.
The Army officer had an impressive career up until his current job. A light infantry warfare specialist, Milley held commands in some of the Army’s most prestigious units. As Army chief of staff, the general won praise for pushing innovation in procurement and strategy. Unfortunately, Milley’s record as chairman of the Joint Chiefs has been far less inspiring.
Over the past year, Milley has given explosive quotes to a legion of different journalists. Stand-out moments include Milley’s apparent pledge to Nancy Pelosi that he would interfere with nuclear command structures and his likening of former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. When questioned about his penchant for pontification, Milley offers disdain.
What of the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle? Milley says it was “a logistical success but a strategic failure.” One, we would note, that no senior military officers have resigned over. This spin-savvy, media-obsessed leadership sets a poor example.
Others have taken heed.
Central Command’s Kenneth McKenzie, for one. Responsible for U.S. military operations in the Near East, Middle East, and Central Asia, Gen. McKenzie supervised the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.
He’s happy to be political. On Aug. 30, McKenzie offered a masterclass in the delivery of Biden administration talking points. The general insisted that even after the withdrawal, the United States would “always retain the ability to [target terrorists in Afghanistan effectively].” This optimism was derided by analysts, who pointed out the difficulty of identifying and targeting terrorists while lacking a proximate ground base near them.
On Sept. 28, McKenzie was more honest. Testifying before Congress, he explained that targeting terrorists in Afghanistan was “not going to be easy.” McKenzie also pledged to take responsibility for the flawed Aug. 29 drone strike that killed 10 innocent civilians. Yet his words have not been followed with any action. The Pentagon investigated itself over the strike and found itself innocent.
The leadership failures abound.
Responding to a deluge of reports about the abusive leadership of a Space Wing commander, for example, the Air Force made her a general. Such disdain for accountability sends a corrosive message to junior ranks. Especially, that is, when more junior officers are pummeled for even the slightest breaches of protocol.
Consider how the Navy relieved an aggressive warship commander for attempting to turn a captured rifle into a morale-boosting plaque. At the same time, relentless deployment schedules have led to weariness, a decline in basic seamanship skills, and a growing Navy culture of risk aversion (in which commanding officers reject risks for fear of losing their command). This is not a good recipe for readiness to defeat China in war.
That is not to say that all senior officers are poor. Marine Corps Commandant David Berger has done excellent work reshaping his branch to return to its amphibious assault roots. Other issues notwithstanding, Chief of Naval Operations Mike Gilday has shown courage by directly criticizing defense contractors that lobby Congress for weapons that the Navy doesn’t need and cannot afford.
Still, defense procurement has serious problems. Take the F-35 fighter jet scandal. Long delayed, massively expensive, riven with faults, and lacking the range to confront China effectively, Lockheed Martin has foisted on the nation a nearly $2 trillion boondoggle. Rather than enforce accountability for its misuse of taxpayer money, Lockheed Martin has repeatedly promoted its F-35 program managers. The Pentagon must share in the blame. While current Air Force chief of staff Charles Brown supports cutbacks to the F-35 program, the Pentagon’s general stance has been to accept Lockheed Martin’s failure without a punitive response. Perhaps that has something to do with the lucrative defense industry jobs that await many retired senior officers?
It’s not just a fighter jet issue.
Dreaming of Midway rather than planning to defend Taiwan, the Navy insists that its Ford-class carriers will be the linchpin of U.S. maritime power in the 21st century. But beset by an array of flaws, the carriers also come in at $13 billion apiece. Loaded with the limited-range F-35s, the risk is that the carriers won’t be able to get close to the future battles. The Navy insists it can protect the carriers, but as China’s anti-ship ballistic missiles and targeting systems grow exponentially in capability and number, the future portends to be far less promising for U.S. interests. Again, accountability has been sorely lacking. Congress and the admirals want their monuments, so national security comes second to ego.
The nation is blessed with the finest warriors on Earth. But it’s obvious that their top leaders are, all too often, second-rate. Congress and the White House should demand better. Where they don’t get it, they should impose it.
