Is It Wrong to Have a General, Like James Mattis, Run the Pentagon?
President-elect Donald J. Trump has picked James N. Mattis, who retired as a four-star Marine general in 2013, to be defense secretary. To ensure civilian control of the military, the law that established the Department of Defense barred military officers from serving as defense secretary for 10 years after active duty (later amended to seven years). In 1950 Congress passed a law to allow George C. Marshall to be appointed, but said it was an exception that would not be repeated. Should Congress pass a similar law to allow General Mattis’s appointment, or would that undermine civilian control of the military?
* four-star general = 4성 장군/ defense secretary = 국방장관/ ensure = 반드시 ~하게[이게] 하다, 보장하다/ civilian control = 문민 통제[지배], 문민[민간] 통치/ the Department of Defense = (미)국방부/ bar = ~ sb (from sth/from doing sth) ~에게 (~하는 것을) 금(지)하다/ military officer = 군 장교/ active duty = [군사] 현역 (근무)/ amend = (법 등을) 개정[수정]하다/ appoint = 임명[지명]하다/ repeat = (어떤 일을) 반복[되풀이]하다/ undermine = (특히 지위・자신감・권위 등을) 약화시키다; 기반을 약화시키다
국회는 (현역) 장군의 국방장관 임명을 허가해야 하나요, 아니면 그것은 문민의 군 통제를 약화시킬까요?
1. Civilian Control Is Fundamental to American Democracy
The lone exception was taken for one of the most admired Americans of all time, with the clear warning that
it should never happen again.
2. Make an Exception for an Exceptional Candidate
Mattis is sensitive to the requirements of civilian control in a way that even many of his military peers are not.
3. As Deference to Generals Grows, Civilian Control Suffers
Recently separated officers are likely to reinforce the advice given to the president by the Joint Chiefs,
rather than offer a political perspective.
Sample Essay
Civilian Control of the Military Is Fundamental to American Democracy
Last week, President-elect Donald J. Trump announced he wanted James N. Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, to be our next secretary of defense. General Mattis deserves deep gratitude and respect for his commendable military service. But he is precluded by law from leading the Department of Defense.
Our American democracy was built around the concept of civilian control of the military. The Constitution mandates that the commander in chief be a civilian, and that Congress have power of the purse over the military. George Washington demonstrated the importance of this principle by resigning his military commission years before becoming our first president.
The National Security Act of 1947 enshrined this concept in the law again by mandating that the newly created Defense Department not be led by “a person who has within ten years" -- later reduced to seven years -- "been on active duty as a commissioned officer in a regular component of the armed services.”
Now is not the time to undermine this critical constitutional tenet. Some argue that President-elect Trump's military and foreign policy inexperience warrant changing the law. Instead, now, as much as ever, we must protect this core foundation on which our country was built, and which has served us well.
Congress made an exception to this law under extraordinary circumstances when President Truman asked Congress to allow George Marshall, a five-star general and a hero of World War II, to lead the Defense Department during the Korean War. Despite widespread popularity and admiration for Marshall, a heated debate and hearings ensued. In the end, Congress agreed to make a one-time exemption, but not without adding an addendum in the law making clear that, “after General Marshall leaves the office of Secretary of Defense, no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved.”
New presidents are typically allowed latitude to appoint their cabinet members. But President-elect Trump is not entitled to ignore our laws and change the fundamental government constructs that have enabled our country’s success.
As we continue to debate this issue in the coming days, I urge my colleagues to rebuff any attempts to ram this change through Congress. Even at the height of the Cold War, with troops deployed in Korea, and with one of the most admired men in American history under consideration, Congress carefully considered Marshall's appointment. So instead of tucking a waiver for General Mattis in a “must-pass” bill voted on in the middle of the night, we must give this issue serious examination through public hearings.
