Choosing the Secretary of your Branch, should the Selection become a military decision?

2016-05-18T08:28:15-04:00

(In a perfect world) The President should delegate authority to the SECDEF, Joint Chiefs of Staff and their Senior Enlisted Advisors to screen, hold a board/interview and select the Secretary of Each Branch and inform the President of their choice. This would create a more efficient, well suited, Joint leader to represent each Branch. What do you all think, I know its well above our pay grades, but give some constructive feedback please

Response by SFC Josh Billingsley made May 18 at 2016 8:31 AM

2016-05-18T08:31:49-04:00

As much as I would like to agree, be careful of taking steps to take military control from civilian hands. Allowing us to control our own appointments is a step in a very dangerous direction IMO

Response by SGT David T. made May 18 at 2016 8:32 AM

2016-05-18T08:32:33-04:00

Absolutely not. Cabinet members are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. This is in the Constitution. Including this language in the Constitution created an addition check and balance on the system. I am not in favor of removing that check from the system.

Response by SGT Edward Wilcox made May 18 at 2016 8:32 AM

2016-05-18T08:32:50-04:00

I don't think the military members should have any say in who the civilian leadership is. This, IMHO, flies in the face of the concept of a civilian controlled military, and could even border on a conflict of interest. Choosing the civilian leadership should stay with the civilians.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made May 18 at 2016 9:00 AM

2016-05-18T09:00:06-04:00

I think at a minimum our Secretaries should have a military service background. Secretary Carter, in my opinion, his focused entirely on the wrong issues and has taken us in a deeply troubling direction. I did not have the same concerns with Secretary Hagel.

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made May 18 at 2016 9:03 AM

2016-05-18T09:03:51-04:00

My question to the question is How do you put someone in charge of the military that has NO CLUE how the military runs? Shouldn't the secretary of any branch have served in some capacity? That's like putting a truck driver in as head cook!

Response by SSG Dennis Grossmann made May 18 at 2016 9:33 AM

2016-05-18T09:33:28-04:00

That adds more Red Tape to any selection. Up at that level service members are more of a number. It all becomes political. If you use something like 3, 4 stars and 3 CSM's on the selection board, and they make a choice that the head cheese doesn't like. There will be 3 and 3 retiring shortly after the selection.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 18 at 2016 2:51 PM

2016-05-18T14:51:53-04:00

No. Just as I don't believe Soldiers should be allowed to vote for their officers. Too 19th century for me.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made May 18 at 2016 4:19 PM

2016-05-18T16:19:29-04:00

Our military must remain subordinate to civilian leadership.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made May 18 at 2016 5:08 PM

2016-05-18T17:08:03-04:00

No! Civilian control of the military requires a civilian selection process. If the President wants the advice of the military, he or she will ask for it.

Response by Capt Hansel Bumgarner made May 18 at 2016 6:53 PM

2016-05-18T18:53:33-04:00

It would be nice if the civilian leaders had served at some point.

Response by Capt Gregory Prickett made May 18 at 2016 9:38 PM

2016-05-18T21:38:05-04:00

No, not in any way appropriate.

It undermines civilian control of the military, and our system of checks and balances. The President nominates and the Senate confirms. That's how it works.

Response by 1LT William Clardy made May 19 at 2016 12:15 PM

2016-05-19T12:15:53-04:00

I'm not sure if it's your logic or the coffee that is weaker this morning, SSG Private RallyPoint Member.
What is the benefit of delegating the selection of several cabinet-level appointments to an appointee? Constitutionally, it might not even be legal for the President to delegate that authority -- the courts have rapped Congress' knuckles more than once by declaring a statute unconstitutional because it implicitly delegated a Congressional power to the executive.
Lastly, especially in the military, the notion of allowing subordinates to choose who acts as their service's civilian oversight seems like a clear non-starter as well.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 8 at 2017 8:18 AM

2017-07-08T08:18:22-04:00

that would be awesome