Postscript
General Stanley McChrystal had the right to offer President Obama advice about his Afghanistan strategy. But by offering it so publicly, he undermined the president's authority over the military.
Snapshot
The President's Intelligence Advisory Board is often criticized as a do-nothing panel. But it might be just the tool Obama needs to fix the U.S. intelligence community.
Capsule Review
Sep/Oct
2008
Lawrence D. Freedman
Response
Sep/Oct
2007
Did the Bush administration disregard military expertise before the Iraq war? Should military leaders have done more to protest in response?
Essay
May/June
2007
The rift between U.S. military and civilian leaders did not start with George W. Bush, but his administration's meddling and disregard for military expertise have made it worse. The new defense secretary must restore a division of labor that gives soldiers authority over tactics and civilians authority over strategy -- or risk discrediting civilian control of the military even further.
