Turnover at the Pentagon

There is an article in Sunday's edition of The New York Times on the coming leadership turnover at the Pentagon.  Reporter Thom Shanker filed this story, "A Fresh Slate at the Pentagon for Obama", on the fact that the Secretary of Defense and the majority of the Joint Chiefs are going next year.  This will all be on schedule.

It is a rare confluence of tenure calendars and personal calculations, coming midway through Mr. Obama’s first term and on the heels of an election that challenged his domestic policies.  His choices could have lasting consequences for his national security agenda, perhaps strengthening his hand over a military with which he has often clashed, and are likely to have an effect beyond the next election, whether he wins or loses.

Not only will top personnel be going away, but promotions from within will ripple down the organization for some distance.

Those who are going include:

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has said he plans to retire next year, while the terms of four members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are scheduled to end: Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman; Gen. James E. Cartwright, the vice chairman; Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army chief; and Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations.

So, if General Petraeus is pulled out of Afghanistan to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Army Chief of Staff, who replaces him?  And the same with others.

If you read the whole article you will see that there are some interesting choices to be made.  I have just finished, this evening, at dinner, Reporter Bob Woodward's book, Obama's War and I think that the President has been heavily engaged with his national security apparatus and will be very heavily engaged in these decisions.  They will not be taken lightly.  Mistakes may be made, but not through not paying attention.

There is a story that an Army General, leaving a briefing to the US President said of an officer accompanying him, that this officer (allegedly Edward C (Shy) Meyer) would be his (the President's) next Army Chief of Staff.  That is, next after General John Vessey, Jr.  The President misunderstood and picked Meyer for the post.  General Vessey got the consolation prize, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Probably apocryphal.

For those of you concerned, it is very unlikely I will be called back down to our Nation's Capitol to fill one of those slots.

Regards  —  Cliff