It's not quite the equivalent of being able to appoint all new justice to the Supreme Court, but it could mean a healthy change in the civilian/military relationship.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he plans to retire next year, while the terms of four members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are scheduled to end: Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman; Gen. James E. Cartwright, the vice chairman; the Army chief, Gen. George W. Casey Jr.; and the chief of naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead.
Many have been concerned about the increasing strength of the military vis-a-vis the civilian leadership, a big n0-no in our system of government in which the military is commanded by civilians. That growing imbalance is something conservative historian and former military officer, Andrew Bacevich, has been concerned about. The balance needs to be reset.
Andrew J. Bacevich, a retired Army officer who is professor of history and international relations at Boston University, said this round of replacements, coming after two years of difficult and sometimes intense wrangling over how to carry on the war in Afghanistan, “is particularly important, and is likely to prove particularly difficult.”
“The challenge facing the president will be to identify leaders who will provide him with disinterested advice, informed by a concern for the national interest and, in doing so, to avoid either the appearance or the reality of politicizing the senior leadership,” he said. “It seems pretty clear that the process of deciding to escalate and to prolong the war in Afghanistan suggests there is a real imbalance in the existing civil-military relationship.” ...NYT
