July 01, 2019
An Acting Secretary of Defense Isn’t Enough
The U.S. public is rightfully anxious about U.S. policy on Iran and whether the Trump administration is leading the country toward war in the Persian Gulf. The White House has ricocheted from one policy position to another, which has done nothing but heighten the fear that the president and his advisors do not themselves agree on a course of action. As the Trump team presses for policies that could lead to direct confrontation—and as Iran turns to more aggressive policies, including stockpiling uranium beyond the limits assigned under the 2015 nuclear deal—all we can do is hope the leaders who sit around the Situation Room table know how to handle a mercurial president who does not inspire confidence in his crisis management but instead makes crises worse.
A major player at that table is acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who replaced Patrick Shanahan after he stepped down as acting secretary last month. At a time of international tension and possible conflict, you want the best minds focused on the issue and strong advisors not afraid to tell the president when he is wrong. However, senior leaders in an acting capacity, such as this succession of acting defense secretaries, have the deck stacked against them when it comes to telling truth to power. This is made still worse by President Donald Trump’s management style—he does not seem to be looking for advisors who will say no to him. That’s why there are so many empty positions in his government temporarily filled by acting officials.
Read the full article in Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
The Constitution’s Forgotten Term Limit on Military Power
Commentary
They designed the Two-Year Clause not as a technical appropriations rule but as a structural guarantee: that the army of the United States would remain, as one Federalist put ...
By Mark Nevitt & Matthew. B. Lawrence
-
Embracing Private Equity in the Next Era of National Security
Commentary
Introduction For decades, the United States has fielded the world’s most advanced and capable military. It has done so despite an acquisition system that is often bureaucratic...
By General John W. Raymond & Matt O’Kane
-
Mined and Blockaded: Iran’s Unlawful Mining and the U.S. Port Blockade
Commentary
As I discuss below, whether the United States carries out the blockade in a legal manner will affect, among other things, allied States’ willingness to participate and the ove...
By Mark Nevitt
-
President Trump Announces Two-Week Ceasefire with Iran | CNN
Video
Becca Wasser, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security joins CNN to discuss the ceasefire in Iran.Watch the full interview on CNN....
By Becca Wasser
