December 08, 2016

Too many generals? Trump's newest nomination causing jitters

Source: The Washington Examiner

Journalist: Jamie McIntyre

President-elect Trump's selection of retired Marine Gen. John Kelly to be secretary of homeland security brings the number of former generals on his national security team to three. This raises the obvious question: "How many generals are too many."

Generally speaking, it's not unusual to have a retired senior military officer serve as national security adviser, an executive position that does not require congressional approval. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn will fill that roll.

Retired Air Force Gen. Brent Scowcroft did the job for George H.W. Bush, and Gen. Jim Jones a former NATO commander and Marine Corps commandant was President Obama's first national security adviser. Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Colin Powell even filled that role when he was only a three-star and still on active duty, for President Ronald Reagan.

Read the full article at The Washington Examiner.

Author

  • Alice Hunt Friend

    Member, CNAS AI Governance Forum, Head of AI & Emerging Tech Policy, Google

    Alice Hunt Friend is Head of AI & Emerging Tech Policy at Google. Friend is an expert in defense politics and emerging capabilities, and has served in several roles at the...