How the Pentagon Is Struggling to Stay out of Politics

Watching Gen. Mark. A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, onstage at the White House, you can tell he looks uncomfortable. And that’s as it should be.

Milley’s job is to provide sound military advice to the president. But at a deeper level, his responsibility is to safeguard the independence and integrity of the armed forces. The last thing the country needs is a military leadership that’s trying to curry favor with any commander in chief, particularly one who’s hungry for affirmation.

Milley is a big, burly man who looks like a general from an earlier generation, when four-stars didn’t spend so much time in the gym. Onstage with the politicians, his eyes often dart back and forth with a wary look that suggests he’s thinking: Get me out of here! That’s reassuring, for people who want the military to stay as far from politics as possible.

Our democracy cherishes civilian control of the military, but the balance has slipped badly in this administration. Civilians, starting with Trump, have inserted themselves into matters that should have been resolved by the uniformed chain of command.

The Navy has been a special target for civilian torpedoes over the past year. Trump rocked the service last year by intervening in a disciplinary case involving Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer resisted — and was fired.