FUBAR Follies
The Secretary of Defense goes AWOL; Biden shrugs
The Secretary of Defense is second in the US military chain of command, subordinate only to the President, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Per the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the Secretary of Defense is also sixth in the presidential line of succession. In short, the individual who holds this office is one of the most important officials in the Executive Branch of the United States Federal Government.
Because the position is so important, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in a sophisticated command and control system to ensure that the Secretary has contact at all times with the President and the senior military leadership. At all times. In a period of international tension or at a moment of national emergency, any failure of communications could have serious if not disastrous consequences.
Military leaders at every level, from the NCO in charge of a rifle squad to the four-star general in charge of a major command, are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the chain of command. The degree of responsibility rises as one goes up the chain, but the principle remains the same. Any break in the chain arising from carelessness or incompetence is a serious matter that can result in disciplinary action against the leader responsible, up to and including a general court martial.
Give all this, the recent behavior of the current Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and the Biden Administration’s casual attitude toward it, is an extraordinary and extremely troubling event. Simply put, the Secretary went AWOL. For days, President Biden had no idea that Austin was out of action in the intensive care ward of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, being treated for complications said to have arisen from an “elective medical procedure” he’d undergone in late December. The Department of Defense withheld news of Austin’s hospitalization from the President, the White House national security staff, senior DoD officials, Congress, and the media. The excuse proffered for this dereliction, that the appropriate persons were not notified of Austin’s indisposition because his assistant was also sick, is itself alarming. If true, it bespeaks an intolerable level of incompetence. If untrue, it’s the kind of mendacious dodge that we’ve come to expect from the Biden Administration.
And this scandal is playing out against a background of conflict and crisis around the world. In Europe, the Russo-Ukrainian War rumbles on. In the Middle East, Israel and Hamas are at war in Gaza. Various terrorist groups in the region, fronting for Iran, are attacking US forces and civilian shipping, raising the threat of a wider war. In these circumstances, Secretary Austin’s behavior is inexplicable. He and whoever else in the Defense Department may be complicit in this affair deserve to be sacked—pronto.
The fact that Austin is a retired general officer who has held command positions at the highest level of the armed forces only makes his behavior worse. If anyone should understand the importance of the chain of command, it’s this man who wore four stars; who served as a battalion, brigade, division and corps commander; who served as commander of US forces in Iraq; who served as Army Vice Chief of Staff; who served as commander of US Central Command.
Congress and the public deserve an adequate explanation of this egregious screwup, but of course no such thing has been forthcoming from the Biden Administration. The DoD spokesman, Admiral John Kirby, has told reporters that the President has complete faith in Austin, has no intention of firing him, and would not accept his resignation if it was offered. That, perhaps, is not so surprising given the fact that neither Austin nor anybody else in the Department of Defense was sacked in the aftermath of the Afghanistan debacle, otherwise known as The Greatest Airlift in History.
Lloyd Austin, who after all is seventy years old, is not to be blamed for requiring a medical procedure or getting sick. But the secrecy surrounding this incident was unnecessary and is inexcusable. At a time of crisis like this, to conceal information about the health status of such an important government official is both dishonest and stupid. Did no one realize that the story would come out? Did no one pause to reflect how the American people, America’s allies, and America’s enemies would react to it? It’s no wonder that V. Putin, the Chinese oligarchs, and the Iranian ayatollahs treat America with such contempt. By their behavior, Biden & Co. have made America appear contemptible.
The American military has an acronym that covers the Austin scandal: FUBAR. I trust that it’s not necessary for me to translate it into civilian-speak. As for the Democrats’ boast that with Biden in office the adults are once more in charge—please! The claim may be laughable, but the reality behind it is nothing to laugh about at all.
The U.S. military has a culture of mendacity.
And Austin's behavior - a glaring example of low integrity - reflects a lifetime in the military.
Strong words, but bear with me.
Military rules are typically both clear and unequivocal as Gregg points out.
Yet general officers frequently get passes for behavior that would get a field grade or enlisted person jail time. This "rank has its privileges" attitude permeates senior officer ranks. As it permeates so much of society (see Harvard for a recent example).
(Look at the USS Iowa turret explosion, Pat Tillman's death, Milley contacting the Chinese re Trump, etc).
But it starts much earlier.
Look at this sentence in a military performance review: "This officer handles all of his duties in an able, competent, and satisfactory manner."
Sounds good?
No! The kiss of death to a career. Performance reviews now require such superlative language that the sentence is militaryspeak for: "Never promote the SOB again".
Military people will argue that these are tribal quirks and everybody understands them.
True, but it is also political enablement. The reviewing officer can claim to be supportive while destroying a career. And a lie is a lie, regardless of tribal "quirks".
"Plausible deniability" found a home in the military.
What does it matter that a seaman (Clayton Hartwig of the USS Iowa) was falsely accused of being homosexual and killing his crewmates in a lover's quarrel? Just one man taking a hit for the team.
No.
The military is supposed to be an organization of honor.
With the obligations and respect accorded to an honorable organization.
Just as Harvard and its former president were accorded the respect and presumption of honor before their mendacity became obvious to everyone.
But both the military and Harvard are part of society (arguably leaders and trendsetters).
This culture of mendacity is both a reflection of the society that created these organizations and an example of the leadership that is successful in these organizations.
We aren't going to change this culture. But society is starting to recognize that mendacity is not a solid foundation for a civilization.
Sadly, we get the leadership that we allow.
One has to wonder if the lack of respect Austin might -must?- have for Biden is behind this.