Steve Deal
Are you worried about the president’s meeting with more than 800 senior generals and admirals tomorrow? Consider this: how our military prepares for global conflict hasn’t changed since the Obama era.
And if you also think that America is at an inflection point of global leadership – and, perhaps languishing in terms of defense production – then, maybe, such a unifying connection between senior military leaders isn’t such a bad idea.
So instead of asking why a large meeting of U.S. military leadership is happening in Virginia this week with the President and his Secretary, perhaps we should first ask why we are so concerned in the first place.
If our first thought is distrust of motive, then perhaps we aren’t really thinking for ourselves. That is the work of ideology – to presuppose or preconceive reality. Vermont’s congressional delegation already has that one covered.
Reality is far different. Secretary of War Henry Stimson met with his senior leadership multiple times to guide the country through World War II. So did Robert D. McNamara during Vietnam, for better or worse. As did Richard Cheney during Gulf War I, and again Donald Rumsfeld after 9/11.
Even when gatherings were limited to four- and three-stars, the impact upon their enormous, far-flung staffs — filled with two- and one-star officers, aides, and other support elements — has always made such presidential- and secretarial-level events momentous, if not temporarily paralyzing.
So, what might our concerns about this meeting presuppose? What realities lie behind such worry?
First, some may well believe that our country is fully ready for the next epoch in technology, weapons systems, and the kind of education, training, and talent management needed for Americans willing to serve. In that thinking, such a large meeting just slows progress for leaders already working on the right things.
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