(The Scullery)--Currently, there is a job opening at the Pentagon, at the top. In view of recent developments, it may well be necessary to review what happened.
Concurrently, President Trump announced complete withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, claiming the war against the terrorist organization ISIS had been won. Although evid3ence may exist to the contrary, nonetheless, the order by the CINC to bring our boys home was given. About the same time, the current Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, a Marine Corps General, proffered his resignation, effective ion the new year. In addition, days later, CINC then announced a radical troop reduction in Afghanistan, which also met with harsh criticism, from allies, TV talk show pundits and Twitter trollers alike; (all of whom have about the same influence on the decision.) Aside from the news impact of the above, it contributes little to the choice of a new candidate, who will have to be confirmed by Congress. Considering the government is in impasse mode, it does provide time for a meaningful assessment of the search for a new Pentagon honcho.
Naturally, the tendency to select someone with military experience seems the primary choice, but that may not serve a practical purpose considering new roles the military plays on the modern front, both domestic and international. We have seen the deployment recently of US regular Army and Marine forces deployed to the southern border of the United States in Operation Faithful Patriot, in direct response to several immigrant caravans moving north from Central America, with the intention of entering America, either by legal means, asylum or just plain border hopping. It brings on a new era in military policy even though it was used during the Obama administration, setting a recent precedent. It simply means the new candidate will need an understanding not just of direct military matters, but one concerning immigration policy and whatever else the President might seem fit for the honcho to do with the troops. The choice for a regular military officer, then, may not be the best and a civilian may be preferred for the assignment. General Mattis, although a fine example of a field commander, may have been weighed down by all his medals when it came to following civilian orders in relation to remature troop withdrawals and border control.
Historically, there have been civilians tasked to the Pentagon chief assignment, but a good example of having a dual role to play may well be Henry L Stimson, Secretary of War for many presidents, including FDR during World War Two. What separates Stimson from the others, even though he was an artillery officer in combat, is that he had to make a decision and enforce it on the West Coast Exclusion Zone for Japanese Americans in World War Two. It led to the infamous internment camps where the Japanese citizens of the United States were confined as, in their mindset of the day, it was "impossible" to determine their allegiance, with widespread fear of sabotage as the motive.
Thus, before selecting candidates, consider the background the individual has in dealing with peripheral situations that may arise, such as the one Secretary faced with Japanese internment camps that became a downside of the war effort, with an afterlife that is still discussed in Core Humanities classes on university agendas even today.
SUMMARY: The candidate need not have a military background. The candidate needs to have a thorough understanding of the role of the job that might require additional assignments such as immigration mitigation. The candidate needs to have flexibility when it comes to spot decisions by the CINC for troop removal and deployment. The candidate may have to be resilient to criticism from career military field grade officers and admirals.
Supporting Documents:
HL Stimson & internment camp photos from Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_L._Stimson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internment_of_Japanese_Americans
REF TO MERTZ, PVT, GI CAN DETAIL, POT SHACK ..28TH RLT, CAMP SAN MATEO--