Accountability Watch
Military discipline isn't exactly my bag, so I don't know if this represents a new approach or merely a return to pre-Bush standard operating procedure. But we spent years bemoaning the lack of accountability under Rumsfeld, so let's acknowledge the welcome change that's taken place under Robert Gates. Nukes mistakenly get flown across the country on your watch? Your aircraft carrier gets taken out by a fire and needs $70 million of repairs after some sailors smoke in a prohibited area? Guess what: your career's over. A novel concept.
posted by The Cunning Realist at Friday, August 01, 2008
4 Comments:
No, that is just the Navy's way of doing business. If a Navy ship runs aground, the captain is relieved, whether or not he/she was on the bridge at the time.
If a submarine commander T-bones a fishing trawler whilst performing a rapid emergency surface from the depths: the same rules apply. Same with the case of the submarine kissing the face of an underwater mountain, whilst going full speed; the captain has to go. More often than not, they become terminal ranked, and retire.
Exceptions are made for faulty performance, in the cases where your father and your grandfather were four star admirals (McCain)(he splashed 3 or 4 birds unnecessarily). The Navy had the good taste not to promote him to Admiral, however.
The Army operates in reverse polarity mode as does the Navy, IMO. General Westmoreland lies to LBJ about enemy troop numbers, suffers the exploding cigar of the Tet offensive, and is booted upstairs to Army Chief of Staff. General Casey, whose tenure as HMFIC Iraq, was deemed problematic, was similarily kicked upstairs to the same position.
So nothing new here. I have USMC background, so am not pulling for either service, just reporting.
The military has a strong tradition of accountability -- all the way up to the high edge of the field grades, where it sputters out and dies.
haha...once an eagle is spot on
Wasn't this Airforce, not Navy? I ask because Mukasey has had some pretty high profile fights with the AF leadership.
While it'd be nice to think accountability was back in style my gut says this was just an opportunity to shiv a political enemy.
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