Keeping Secretary of Defense Gates in the next administration

[Rob Thornton]

Hi Jill,

You bring up some interesting points, one of which is how has the criteria assigned by the military and their families to those civilian leaders whose decisions most affect them been altered by war? I've noticed my own wife and children very interested in politics, perhaps partly because we live on post. I have to help my children get past what they hear and challenge themselves to think about what they hear means. War has certainly changed (for the better I believe) our level of candor. Even the Secretary himself has encouraged it, although I think it was probably going to happen anyway - our tolerance for bad leadership and its consequences has grown thin - we now know the stakes very well.

I think that is one reason we respect and admire the Secretary and those like him. He seems to understand that not only does a leader have responsibilities to those who appointed or promoted them (responsible to), but that his or her responsibility must be balanced with those he/she leads (responsibility for). A good leader knows how to walk that line - its what separates leadership from management.

I'd argue that a good executive should not appoint their cabinet based on who will work best for them, or work best under them, but who will rise to the range of possible challenges to which that appointment calls, and who will listen well to the voices they lead, and when called to, tell the leader both the possible consequences of their choices and be either literate enough on the issues or wise enough to know when their not and propose alternative approaches. It is a question of who works best for the nation they both serve. There is something to be said about the personal strength required to assemble a team of rivals - as long as said team are mature enough to check their ambitions and personalities in the interest of the nation.

When I consider the two presidential candidates I do wonder as to what type of cabinet and advisors they will appoint or listen to. I wonder how their presidency will affect our military. We know that all men and women are not equals when it comes to their ability to lead - when you get a good one, be it a BN CDR, GO or civilian, you know that the chances of getting another one like them are subject to many variables. While with the uniformed leadership you at least have an idea of where that person has been and what their formative experiences have been, with an appointee its a different ball game. So yes we're all a bit concerned.

Whatever happens, SEC Gates has lived up to many expectations about what "right looks like". His successor will have big shoes to fill, and could do worse then to consider this a model of a slightly unequal CIV-MIL dailog - the man's patience is astounding, but when called to do so he has unequivocally imposed his will in the interest of those he serves. His successor will have the full measure of respect and support the office is due, but as many leaders of all stripes have found out, esteem and trust must be earned.

Best Regards, Rob