Do Military Leaders Deserve Our Trust?
Do Military Leaders Deserve Our Trust? By Daniel L. Davis, The National Interest
… Senior U.S. military leaders, held by many Americans to be above moral reproach, are rapidly becoming indistinguishable from their political counterparts. This deteriorating trend concentrates increasing power in the hands of progressively fewer leaders and weakens the fabric of our country.
Four years ago, after returning from my fourth combat deployment as an Army officer, I published a report in a professional defense journal detailing how America’s most senior civilian and uniformed leaders had been deceiving the American public about the progress of the war in Afghanistan. In response, then-Lt.Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti held a press conference at the Pentagon and said of the article “It’s one person’s view of this. From my personal point of view . . . I’m confident that . . . our outlook is accurate.”…”