New leadership needed at the top of US military

 Washington Examiner:

Facing the rising prospect of a major conflict with China, the nation needs senior military leaders who are, well, superb leaders.

We're not getting that leadership.

The problem starts with the most senior military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

The Army officer had an impressive career up until his current job. A light infantry warfare specialist, Milley held commands in some of the Army's most prestigious units. As Army chief of staff, the general won praise for pushing innovation in procurement and strategy. Unfortunately, Milley's record as chairman of the Joint Chiefs has been far less inspiring.

Over the past year, Milley has given explosive quotes to a legion of different journalists. Stand-out moments include Milley's apparent pledge to Nancy Pelosi that he would interfere with nuclear command structures and his likening of former President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. When questioned about his penchant for pontification, Milley offers disdain.

What of the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle? Milley says it was "a logistical success but a strategic failure." One, we would note, that no senior military officers have resigned over. This spin-savvy, media-obsessed leadership sets a poor example.

Others have taken heed.

Central Command's Kenneth McKenzie, for one. Responsible for U.S. military operations in the Near East, Middle East, and Central Asia, Gen. McKenzie supervised the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal.

He's happy to be political. On Aug. 30, McKenzie offered a masterclass in the delivery of Biden administration talking points. The general insisted that even after the withdrawal, the United States would "always retain the ability to [target terrorists in Afghanistan effectively]." This optimism was derided by analysts, who pointed out the difficulty of identifying and targeting terrorists while lacking a proximate ground base near them.

On Sept. 28, McKenzie was more honest. Testifying before Congress, he explained that targeting terrorists in Afghanistan was "not going to be easy." McKenzie also pledged to take responsibility for the flawed Aug. 29 drone strike that killed 10 innocent civilians. Yet his words have not been followed with any action. The Pentagon investigated itself over the strike and found itself innocent.
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There is more.

I have little confidence in the current group of leaders of the military.  I have even less confidence in Biden as Commander in Chief.   These guys had to know that Biden's orders on the retreat from Afghanistan resulted in a cluster f*** yet none of them resigned.  The move was a strategic and tactical blunder of the first order.  BTW, when you leave thousands of people behind while bringing in thousands of unvetted people into the US that should not be considered a logistical success.

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