Korb: Clinton, Trump have options to break SECDEF glass ceiling

Editor's note: The following is an opinion piece. The writers are not employed by Military Times and the views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Military Times or its editorial staff.

One of the most important decisions the next president will make is who to appoint as defense secretary. With the military still engaged in actual war-fighting and shows of force around the globe – and despite spending more on national security than at any time since World War II – many military leaders and their congressional supporters claim the Pentagon does not have sufficient funds to maintain its required force structure or necessary level of readiness or modernize its nuclear and conventional forces. The next secretary will face a host of challenges across a broad spectrum.



Hillary Clinton has promised that, if elected, she will insure that at least half of her cabinet will be made up of women. Since women have already held two of the three top national security posts – secretary of state and national security adviser – it would be more than appropriate for her to break the glass ceiling in the Pentagon by appointing a woman to the post, particularly as women play an increasing role in the armed forces.



If Donald Trump is elected, he too should consider appointing a qualified woman to the post.



One of the critical attributes any nominee can bring to the Pentagon’s top spot is actual military and combat experience. This will enhance credibility within “The Building” when it comes to issues ranging from force deployment to the needs of combat veterans to controlling the increasing cost of military compensation, or even the challenges faced by military families. It will bring an informed point of view to a president who has never served.



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Lawrence J. Korb and Carly Evans

Photo Credit: Courtesy photos



This point was emphasized recently by former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, himself a military veteran, who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents. In a recent Wall Street Journal piece, he noted that “neither candidate has seriously addressed how he or she thinks about the military, the use of military force, the criteria they would apply before sending that force into battle, or broader questions of peace and war. Based upon what each candidate has said and done, who can we trust with the lives of young Americans in uniform?”



In addition, if the new secretary has legislative experience, it would help her deal with the Congress, particularly the armed services and appropriations committees that play an increasingly critical role in determining the size and shape of the annual defense budget.



Fortunately, both parties have candidates who more than fit these criteria: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst.



Gabbard, who serves on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committee in the House, has been in elected office in the state, local or federal level for most of the past 16 years. She has served as a legislative aid for Sen. Daniel Akaka, a fellow Hawaiian Democrat who left office in 2013.



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Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, joined fellow lawmakers and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America advocacy group in April in a rally to urge Congress to protect funding for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Photo Credit: Alan Lessig/Staff


But more important, she has interrupted her service in elected office on two occasions when, after enlisting in the Hawaii National Guard, she twice volunteered to deploy to Iraq – once as an enlisted soldier and again in 2009, after earning her commission, as a platoon commander.



Gabbard continues to serve in the Hawaii National Guard, where she has obtained the rank of major. Her fitness for the top job in the Pentagon was emphasized in a recent article critical of Democratic elected officials for abandoning the legacy of John and Robert Kennedy and not trying to end the wars in the Middle East. Adam Walinsky, Robert Kennedy’s speechwriter, points out in a piece for Politico that the one exception is “the marvelous Democratic member of Congress, Tulsi Gabbard, a reservist who has twice deployed to Iraq and knows of what she speaks.”



Ernst, the junior senator from Iowa and is the first woman elected to Congress from that state, serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and has also held elected office at the state and local level. In addition, she spent 23 years in the Army Reserve and Iowa National Guard, retiring in 2015 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. She commanded the largest battalion in the Iowa Army National Guard and spent 14 months in Kuwait and Iraq in 2003-04 as a company commander, driving more than 400 supply convoys from Kuwait into Iraq.


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Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst poses with Army Reserve soldiers from the Des Moines-based 361st Medical Logistics Company during their deployment farewell ceremony.

Photo Credit: Army Reserve Capt. Chad Nixon via the (Des Moines, Iowa) Register


In addition, Ernst has previously volunteered in support of battered and abused women and children, often going to hospital or safe house to give comfort. She would bring credibility and experience to dealing with the issue of sexual abuse in the military.



Either of these female combat veterans and legislators would bring more to the Pentagon’s top spot than most of the men who have held this post for the past 70 years. The next president should consider appointing either one regardless of party; the last two Democratic presidents have appointed Republicans to the Pentagon’s top spot.




Of course, this assumes Gabbard and Ernst can support the new president’s national security policies. Clinton could not go wrong appointing Ernst, nor would Trump make a mistake appointing Gabbard. This would not only break the glass ceiling in the Pentagon, but send a great signal to the women who play an increasing role in our military, and to the country, that partisan politics should not impact our military or defense policy.