Small Wars Journal

When it Comes to Military Capabilities, Can Uniformed Officers Tell 'the Truth'?

Thu, 10/22/2015 - 4:03pm

When it Comes to Military Capabilities, Can Uniformed Officers Tell 'the Truth'? By Dave Majumdar, The National Interest

Senior uniformed officials have an obligation to tell elected political leaders—and the public—the unvarnished truth about the country’s military capabilities. Further, those leaders should be able to tell the truth without fear for their careers—that was the central theme of an event hosted by the Hudson Institute.

“You will not make chief of naval operations in this country, you will not make First Sea Lord in the United Kingdom if you tell the truth, it’s as simple as that,” retired U.K. Royal Navy aviator Rear Adm. Chris Parry told an audience at the influential think-tank on Wednesday. But that’s not acceptable—senior officers must be able to speak candidly without fear for their careers or political retribution. “They should be able to say, short of resignation, ‘we can’t deal with this.’”…

Read on.