Daily US Times: In taking charge of a Pentagon battered by leadership churn, the incoming Joe Biden administration will look to one holdover as a source of military continuity: General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Joe Biden will inherit Milley as his senior military adviser, and although he could replace Milley, he likely won’t.
A Princeton-educated history buff with the gift of gab, General Milley has been a staunch defender of the military’s apolitical tradition even as President Trump packed the Pentagon with political loyalists. The top military official reassured Congress that the military would stay out of the elections and, in no uncertain terms, told troops that the Capitol riot was an act of sedition.
Last summer, General Milley put his own job on the line by apologizing for being part of the entourage that accompanied President Trump to a photo-op outside a church near the White House after peaceful protesters were forcibly removed from the area.
Military leaders always have important roles in ensuring stability from one administration to the next. But Milley will be especially important for the incoming administration after a rocky and delayed postelection transition and uncertainty about when the Senate will confirm top Pentagon nominees.
The 62-year-old General is early in the second year of a four-year term as the military’s top officer. His predecessor, Marine General Joseph Dunford was a similarly transitional figure, appointed by President Obama and continuing for nearly three years with Donald Trump.
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