November 24, 2019
If you’ve followed our CTH review, research and analysis of the issues at hand, you will understand our position was that this situation, if true, had a very clear command expectation from U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
It has just been announced that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has requested the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer (pictured below) for violating the unified chain of command, blackmailing the President of the United States with an ultimatum, and hiding the threat from the Secretary of Defense.
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper asked for the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer on Sunday after losing confidence in him over his handling of the case of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Esper asked for Spencer’s resignation after learning that he had privatelyproposed to White House officials that if they did not interfere with proceedings against Gallagher, then Spencer would ensure that Gallagher was able to retire as a Navy SEAL, with his Trident insignia.
Spencer’s private proposal to the White House — which he did not share with Esper over the course of several conversations about the matter — contradicted his public position on the Gallagher case, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.
Esper said in the statement that he was “deeply troubled by this conduct.”
“Unfortunately, as a result I have determined that Secretary Spencer no longer has my confidence to continue in his position,” Esper said. “I wish Richard well.”
Spencer’s spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Esper and Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, learned of Spencer’s private offer to the White House when they spoke with President Trump on Friday, Hoffman said. (read more)
Allow me to reassert, this is exactly the required outcome.
The military, nor any person therein, does not get to “threaten” the President of The United States. The President is the Commander in Chief of all armed forces. It is not President Trump who would be doing “untold damage to decades of military justice doctrine“, but rather the insubordination of flag officers who are duty bound to carry out legal and constitutional instructions from the President.
The DoD inaction surrounding Lt. Col Vindman was a precursor, a visible symptom few were paying attention to; indicating a political cancer within the unified chain of command. The U.S. Secretary of the Navy threatening the U.S. President is an even more alarming symptom.
A military officer does not get to threaten his leadership with a ‘do what I demand or I will quit’ approach. Any senior level military officer who would express such a sentiment would be regarded as unstable, compromised and unfit to hold a leadership rank.
Yes, it really is that simple.
Jennifer Griffin✔@JenGriffinFNC
US official tells me when Sec Navy went to WH to ask POTUS to let Navy review board go forward he promised the board would in the end allow Gallagher to keep his Trident and rank. In other words he promised to fix the results of the board which is usually a board of peers.
Jennifer Griffin✔@JenGriffinFNC
I am told Navy Secretary Spencer blindsided Defense Secretary Esper and Gen Mark Milley who had gone to the WH to defend Navy decision and ask that Trident review board be allowed to proceed. WH then told them about back deal Spencer tried to cut…
Jennifer Griffin✔@JenGriffinFNC
which did not gibe with what Spencer had told the Defense Secretary and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. It also was counter to Spencer’s public statements. In other words Spencer was not honest with them or the public so Esper asked for his resignation.
Jennifer Griffin✔@JenGriffinFNC
In the end Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was not fired for standing up for military justice but for dishonesty and undermining the military justice system, according to a senior US official. He was fired for “lack of candor.”
Jennifer Griffin✔@JenGriffinFNC
Official: Esper then decided that given all of the messy issues surrounding Chief Eddie Gallagher’s case that it would be impossible for him to get a fair hearing from military so he has decided to allow him to keep his Trident and retire at current rank from Navy.
Jennifer Griffin✔@JenGriffinFNC
I am told by Navy source that they “can’t see a world where they go forward” with the other 3 SEALs peer review board hearing. “We need to move on.”
Navy Secretary Richard V Spencer compromised his position within the unified command structure. There is no room for insubordination at this level, and gross manipulation of command authority for an independent agenda that is against the expressed will of the President of the United States; the Commander in Chief of all Armed Services.
The worst, absolute worst thing, a military officer can do is to compromise the position of his leadership. Once that compromise is identified it must be removed, with extreme prejudice.
In this type of leadership compromise the chain-of-command does not request permission from the President who -in this example- is the Commander targeted by the compromise. The immediate commanding officer (Def Sec Esper) has a duty to remove the compromise without conversation (regarding corrective action) with his superior officer, in this case President Trump, until such time as the compromise has been relieved, and subordination issue corrected. Then the corrective action is discussed with the President.
Defense Secretary Esper made exactly the right decision.
Esper has suggested to Trump that Kenneth Braithwaite, a retired Navy rear admiral who is currently the U.S. ambassador to Norway, be considered as the next Navy secretary.
One issue still remains, what about the compromise remaining from the conduct of Lt. Col Alexander Vindman?
Defense Secretary Mark Esper (right), with President Donald Trump.
Centinel2012 