New Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

With the retirement of Air Force General Richard Myers, the military has a new leader, the first Marine to hold that job:

Marine General Peter Pace took over yesterday as the military's top leader, facing an unpopular war in Iraq, recruitment shortfalls at home, and the possibility of an expanded role in domestic disasters.

At Pace's swearing-in, several Marines who have served with the Vietnam veteran said he would give President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld honest counsel as the military tries to reshape itself to battle the war on terrorism.

But some critics said they were concerned that as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pace, 59, would march in the footsteps of his predecessor, General Richard Myers, and loyally tout the administration's defense strategy.

That seems a rather strange thing to be concerned about. Have we come to expect the Joint Chiefs to vocally question the strategy of the Commander in Chief? That's not their role. They should advise, certainly. They should bring their expertise to bear, certainly. But the military answers to civilian superiors.

In fact, the best examples I can recall of military chiefs resisting civilian policies are the gays in the military fiasco during Clinton's first term, Curtis Lemay wanting to nuke Korea and Cuba, and this:

July 26, 1948: President Truman signs Executive Order 9981, which states, "It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin." The order also establishes the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services.

July 26, 1948: Army staff officers state anonymously to the press that Executive Order 9981 does not specifically forbid segregation in the Army.

July 27, 1948: Army Chief of Staff General Omar N. Bradley states that desegregation will come to the Army only when it becomes a fact in the rest of American society.

July 29, 1948: President Truman states in a press conference that the intent of Executive Order 9981 is to end segregation in the armed forces.

I'm not sure we want the military leaders being the ones challenging administration policies. It might seem good to some in the immediate situation, but in the long term I think it is rarely the right move.