Are Trump's military picks based on merit or loyalty?

Summary

Consider This: Are Trump's Military Picks Based on Merit or Loyalty?

Podcast: Consider This from NPR
Host: Mary Louise Kelly
Release Date: February 24, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of NPR’s Consider This, host Mary Louise Kelly delves into the significant shakeup within the Trump administration’s Department of Defense (DoD). Titled “Are Trump’s military picks based on merit or loyalty?”, the discussion centers around the recent dismissal of several high-ranking military officials and the implications of these changes for the U.S. military.

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Toppling the Joint Chiefs: The Firing of General CQ Brown

The episode opens with Mary Louise Kelly recounting how Pete Hegseth, before being appointed by President Trump to lead the DoD, publicly criticized the existing military leadership. On the Sean Ryan Show podcast, Hegseth emphasized the need for substantial reforms within the armed forces.

Pete Hegseth: "There's a chance to course correct it, but it would take the new Trump administration going after it really hard."
— [00:11]

Hegseth specifically targeted General CQ Brown, the then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arguing that Brown’s promotion was influenced by his race rather than merit. This stance culminated in the unprecedented firing of General Brown on a Friday night, marking the first time a chairman of the Joint Chiefs was dismissed before the end of their term.

Pete Hegseth: "There is civilian control of the military. Nothing about this is unprecedented. The president deserves to pick his key national security and military advisory team."
— [00:55]

Hegseth defended the dismissal by asserting the president's authority to select his national security team, despite acknowledging respect for Brown.

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Democratic Concerns: Undermining Constitutional Loyalty

The episode highlights the Democratic response to these firings, focusing on Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Reed criticizes the Trump administration’s actions, suggesting they jeopardize the military's constitutional allegiance.

Frank Kendall: "I want everyone in DOD to be holding to the President, not to the Constitution."
— [01:05]

Reed questions the new leadership's capacity to "speak truth to power," emphasizing the importance of maintaining a military that upholds constitutional values over partisan loyalty.

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Frank Kendall’s Analysis: The Impact of Political Loyalty

Mary Louise Kelly interviews retired Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall to gain insights into the Pentagon’s restructuring. Kendall expresses concern over the manner in which top military officials are being replaced.

Frank Kendall: "I've never seen it done before quite this way. Normally, chiefs carry over from one administration to another very smoothly without... any interruption."
— [03:44]

Kendall underscores the traditionally apolitical nature of the U.S. military leadership, where transitions occur seamlessly, respecting career continuity and professional integrity.

Furthermore, Kendall critiques Hegseth’s rationale behind the dismissals, particularly the move to purge what Hegseth refers to as "woke stuff" from the Pentagon. Kendall finds the term vague and the intent unclear, suggesting that the real issue lies in the politicization of military roles.

Frank Kendall: "I don't really understand the connection, quite frankly. I also don't understand the obsessiveness about wokeness, whatever that is."
— [05:12]

He defends the Department of the Air Force’s prior efforts to address disparities without compromising performance or standards.

Frank Kendall: "We never lowered any of our standards about moving people into positions or promoting them or anything else that was competitively selected."
— [06:23]

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Questioning Qualifications: The Appointment of Lt. Gen. Dan Kane

The Trump administration appointed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Kane as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, Kendall raises concerns about Kane’s qualifications compared to traditional appointees.

Frank Kendall: "I have no reason to say that he's not qualified except for the fact that he does not have the experience that is normally associated with that job."
— [06:45]

Kendall points out that typically, the chairman has extensive experience, often having served as a four-star general in a significant command role. He suggests that Kane lacks the customary background for such a high-profile position.

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The Legal Purge: Removing Top Military Lawyers

In addition to the top military leadership, the Trump administration has removed several of the DoD’s top military lawyers (Judge Advocate Generals). Kendall highlights the gravity of this move, emphasizing the crucial role JAG officers play in maintaining lawful conduct within the military.

Frank Kendall: "They seem to want to have JAG officers who will say yes to whatever operational people want to do."
— [07:38]

He warns that eliminating these legal authorities could hinder the military’s ability to follow lawful orders and uphold the laws of armed conflict, posing a threat to both military discipline and legal integrity.

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Meritocracy vs. Loyalty: The Core Debate

The central theme of the episode revolves around whether Trump's military appointments prioritize merit or political loyalty. The administration claims to promote a merit-based military, while critics argue it fosters a government reliant on loyalty rather than competence.

Mary Louise Kelly: "The Trump administration says it wants a military built on meritocracy. Critics say it's building one government governed by political loyalty."
— [01:39]

Kendall’s insights suggest that the rapid and politically charged changes within the DoD may undermine the professional, apolitical foundation that has traditionally characterized U.S. military leadership.

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Conclusion

Mary Louise Kelly wraps up the episode by highlighting the unprecedented nature of the Trump administration’s actions within the Department of Defense. The removal of General CQ Brown, accompanied by other senior officials and top military lawyers, raises profound questions about the future direction of the U.S. military. Critics fear that these moves could erode the professional and constitutional allegiance that has long been a cornerstone of American military ethos.

Final Thought from Mary Louise Kelly:
"Consider this. From NPR, I'm Mary Louise Kelly."

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This episode of Consider This provides a comprehensive examination of the Trump administration’s controversial military appointments, juxtaposing official statements with expert analysis to explore the delicate balance between meritocracy and political loyalty within the U.S. armed forces.

Transcript

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Before he was even tapped by President Trump to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth laid out how he thought the incoming administration should overhaul the armed forces.

[Pete Hegseth]

There's a chance to course correct it, but it would take the new Trump administration going after it really hard.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

This was on the Sean Ryan show podcast and at the top of Hegseth's list.

[Pete Hegseth]

Well, first of all, you gotta fire, you know, you gotta fire the chairman of Joint Chiefs.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

That would be General CQ Brown, who was the nation's highest ranking military officer until Friday night when he was fired. Hegseth had attacked Brown for promoting diversity initiatives in the armed services. In his book War on Warriors, he questioned whether General Brown got the job because he was black. On Fox News over the weekend, Secretary Hegseth said he has, quote, a lot of respect for Brown, but that Trump had the right to dismiss him.

[Pete Hegseth]

There is civilian control of the military. Nothing about this is unprecedented. The president deserves to pick his key national security and military advisory team.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Other presidents have fired high ranking generals, though none has fired a chairman of the Joint Chiefs. They serve four year terms often across administrations. And though they do serve at the pleasure of the President, they take an oath to the Constitution. Some Democrats say Trump's move undermines that.

[Frank Kendall]

I want everyone in DOD to beholding to the President, not to the Constitution.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

That's the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed of Rhode island speaking there on ABC's this Week.

[Frank Kendall]

They want everyone there to do what.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

They'Re told, regardless of the law. And Senator Reid had this question for Brown's successor. Will he have the ability to speak truth to power? Consider this. The Trump administration says it wants a military built on meritocracy. Critics say it's building one government governed by political loyalty. From npr, I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

It'S consider this from NPR. So this weekend saw six senior officers ousted by the Trump administration, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also included the top lawyers for the army, the Navy and the Air Force. And Trump named his new pick for chairman, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Kane. To get a sense of what this shakeup at the Pentagon will mean for the military, I spoke with Frank Kendall. Until about a month ago, he was a top Pentagon official as Secretary of the Air Force. Secretary, welcome to All Things Considered.

[Frank Kendall]

Hello, Mary Louise. It's good to be with you.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Hey, so to be clear, your departure was part of the regular turnover when a new administration takes over, right?

[Frank Kendall]

No, that's correct.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Okay. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as you well know, this is the highest ranking officer in the US Armed Forces. They are appointed to serve four year terms. They also serve at the pleasure of the President. So just it is within a president's powers to pick a new head of the Joint Chiefs, correct?

[Frank Kendall]

It is. I've never seen it done before quite this way. Normally, chiefs carry over from one administration to another very smoothly without. Without any interruption. And as far as I know, there was no reason not to do that in this case.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

You have concerns about General Brown being fired? Just lay out for us what they are.

[Frank Kendall]

Sure. First of all, General Brown's one of the, if not the finest officer I've ever worked with. One of the things that stands out about the military services in the United States is the apolitical nature of all of our officer corps. And I've been through a lot of transitions, and I have seen in every case, very smooth, professional transitions where people, you know, they adapt to the policies of the new team in charge, they follow orders as they should, and they give good advice.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I want to play a little bit of what this is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who went on Fox yesterday and spoke about CQ Brown. Here's what he said.

[Pete Hegseth]

I have a lot of respect for CQ Brown. I got to know him over the course of a month. He's an honorable man, not the right man for the moment.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Hegseth has in past shared his view that the Pentagon needs to be purged of, and I quote, the woke stuff. And he said that doing so would start with firing CQ Brown, who I will note is black. How do you think, Secretary, that this may fit into the stated overt efforts by the Trump administration to scale back dei?

[Frank Kendall]

I don't really understand the connection, quite frankly. I also don't understand the obsessiveness about wokeness, whatever that is. You know, it's perfectly within the purview of a new secretary and president to change policies, and that's perfectly fine. And I think all the officers who serve would take. Carry out those orders to be a lawful order to. It'd be no problem. There isn't much there to actually remove. There's a few hours of training a year. And I. And again, I don't know what they mean by wokeness. I'm not sure what they mean by that at all. The impact of what they've done is to politicize these positions to a degree that I've never seen before. These officers serve apolitically. They are loyal to whoever's in power. They carry out their policies. And what been created by doing this is an environment in which career officers suddenly have to worry about their political alignment.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And just to stay with the questions about wokeness, I hear you saying you don't even understand what that means. I think the Trump administration would argue that means diversity initiatives have been purs at the expense of performance. In your long experience at the Pentagon, did you see that?

[Frank Kendall]

No, absolutely not. We did pay attention to disparities in the Department of the Air Force. We had some studies that were done under the previous Trump administration that showed significant disparities, but we never lowered any of our standards about moving people into positions or promoting them or anything else that was competitively selected.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Do you know, General Kaine, President Trump's pick for chairman? Is he qualified?

[Frank Kendall]

I do. I have no reason to say that he's not qualified except for the fact that he does not have the experience that is normally associated with that job. Normally and by law, a person who goes into the chairman's job, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, should have served as a four star general in another major command, either as a head of one of the military services or as a head of one of the major component commands around the world. General Kane has not done that.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I also want to ask about the removal of some of the Defense Department's top military lawyers in this purge. This is not generating headlines as big as removing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Why is it worth paying attention to?

[Frank Kendall]

I find that more troubling in a way than removing the other individuals that have been removed.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Why?

[Frank Kendall]

He seems to want to have JAG officers who will say yes to whatever operational people want to do. Judge Advocate Generals, which are the lawyers in uniform, basically, they're the people who administer the Uniform Code of Military justice, the criminal law that applies to people serving and also interpret things like the laws of armed conflict or the laws that would restrict the use of the military against American civilians. So they have a very important role to play. They're professionals. They're not political appointees at all. So to just reach down within the structure and remove the legal authorities that would constrain the behavior of the military, ensure that the military follows lawful orders, is very troubling to me.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Retired Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, thank you for speaking with us.

[Frank Kendall]

Thank you, Mary Louise. Good to be with you.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

This episode was produced by Jason Fuller and Connor Donovan. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Nadia Lanci. Our audio engineer is Ted Mebane. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun.

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

It's Consider this from npr. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

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