Perhaps The U.S. Army’s Most Remarkable Leader In More Than Half A Century (From The National Interest)

Dealing with the emerging Russian/Chinese/North Korean/Iranian threat will necessitate a transformation of the Army and the Joint Force. Given enough money and time, the Army could probably find solutions to most of its pressing capability gaps. Unfortunately, it has no money. The Army’s modernization budget has been reduced to a pittance as the service struggles to maintain the readiness necessary to conduct combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and maintain the semblance of deterrence elsewhere. The Army also has no time. War could be on the horizon, possibly in several theaters simultaneously. For the first time, of which I am aware, a Chief of Staff of the Army has framed the challenge facing the U.S. military the right way, in terms of time and not just money, numbers or technology. General Milley recently declared: “Let us commit for once, once in our history, to not be unprepared for that first battle.” If he can make good on this commitment, even just for the Army, he will be a remarkable Chief of Staff. I have written a commentary here on this remarkable leader and the challenges facing the Army for National Interest.