It is increasingly likely that Donald Trump will be No. 47. Likely also that Republicans will have slight but critical margins in votes in Congress.
There is so much to do to quickly right the ship of state and put America back on the Constitutional and logical track to security, prosperity, and justice. In the first 24 hours of the Trump administration, the border will be closed by the exercise of constitutionally mandated executive orders, and fossil fuel production will be liberated, initiating the reversal of the waterfall of the massive deterioration of our economy and the inbred, recessive, destructive, redundant, inefficient and enormously expensive Washington, D.C. administration significantly reduced in numbers employees and unnecessary functions.
Much more reform must be stated immediately, not the least of which is the total overhaul of our Department of Defense (DoD) from the top down to enable our military to be a viable global deterrent protecting our republic and our citizens again.
I must acknowledge that I have spent considerable time collaborating and discussing much of the following with TH's Senior Columnist, my good friend and battle buddy of 30+ years, COL(Retired) Kurt Schlichter.
Here is what must be done to immediately reform and revitalize our military to include all reserve and National Guard forces:
1. Appoint a well-vetted and qualified Secretary of Defense (SecDef). Senator Tom Cotton immediately comes to mind, but other equally qualified candidates exist.
2. Fire and reappoint all secretaries of the military branches, including the Chief of Naval Operations.
3. Fire and reappoint all senior non-commissioned officers of the services.
4. Two advisory boards of five members for the SecDef will be created and exist as long as the mission of reform requires.
1. A senior general officer, retired, board headed by Gen. Jack Keane will advise the SecDef on personnel to be appointed and promoted to senior leadership positions. To advise on the integration of the three elements of power, Diplomatic, Economic, and Military, and general reform of the military services to focus on and to be capable of the essential, primary mission of warfighting.
2. A second advisory board of five retired senior non-commissioned and petty officers will be created to advise on a realistic and expedited plan to train our military forces to be capable of mission accomplishment. This will include a train-the-trainer program to facilitate, throughout the non-commissioned officer corps, the ability and skills to properly train and supervise our service members in the execution of their missions as well as equipment and facilities to include living quarters, military hospitals, and other facilities maintenance to a high standard.
3. Both boards, in concert, will, within 90 days, provide a uniform plan and associated training to reform the personnel evaluation system to uniformly ensure that all promotions and assignments are based on the past performance, education, ethics, and merit of all personnel.
5. Call the most senior flag officers and their civilian aids to a meeting to lay down the law to include, but not necessarily limited to the following, for which you have one week to create the orders necessary:
1. Return your force focus and ethos to warfighting only. All else supports this mission.
2. Create a plan to reduce redundant administration, software, procurement, military base facilities, and housing administration across the DoD.
3. Draft a fact-based, realistic worldview National Security Strategy in conjunction with the State Department. This will include the top three essential priorities for maintaining the defense of our republic and world piece in concert with our allies.
4. Eliminate any further military teaching of doctrine involving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but with logical and realistic compliance with civil rights and equality.
5. Create and provide a 90-day implementation schedule of training for all services to teach officers and enlisted to lead from the front for mission accomplishment, personnel training, individually and collectively, maintenance of all equipment and facilities with priority to warfighting equipment.
6. Ethics, regulations, and mission-critical requirements will be strictly enforced, with no exceptions. Any violations of these regulations by anyone in the chain of command will be summarily and fully investigated and resolved within a thirty-day window of discovery to resolution. All violators found guilty will be reduced in rank and immediately removed from the service. Those eligible for retirement may or may not have their retirement eliminated depending on the findings of the military disciplinary action—failure is not an option, particularly in matters of warfighting.
6. Physical weight, training standards, and tests will be uniform throughout the services. Service members will be afforded 90 days to comply. Service members will be given two opportunities to test satisfactorily the physical requirements with a 30-day window to correct any deficiencies. No variations or adjustments will be made for age or sex.
7. Overseas deployments of all services will be reviewed within 60 days: The mission, purpose and logic of each overseas commitment of U.S. service members will be reviewed for logic of the defense and diplomatic necessity, the reason for their security mission to continue, the ability to support each mission for security of the forces and military dependents, the interoperability and support of the host country government and military, and the cost and practicality of logistical support as well as the practicality and plan for surge capability when needed.
8. DoD service members and civilians compliance: Even the inimitable Donald Rumsfeld, SecDef twice, could not wrangle the DoD into logical efficiency and compliance with his vision. This will not happen under the DoD reforms by Trump 47. Any service member or DoD civilian found to overtly or covertly resist the mandated essential changes and reforms will be counseled once. The second such violation will result in immediate dismissal and subject to withdrawal of any pension benefits depending on the severity of the offense. The inclusive element in this process will be the subsequent entire elimination of the civil service unions instituted by John F. Kennedy in 1962. This elimination of these unions will further facilitate the 30% to 50% reduction in the size and cost of the grossly bloated and inefficient Washington bureaucracy. This is the subject of another essential OpEd for which space here does not permit elaboration.
The measures outlined above are the minimum immediate steps to initiate essential reform of our failed and failing military. The nearly simultaneous benefit of these and other critical reforms of DoD will result in a significant increase in the improvement of recruiting and retention of the increasingly small (23% of 17 to 24-year-olds) segment of our population who are eligible, capable, and desirous of serving in our military.
Similar immediate draconian measures must be taken beginning Day One of Trump 47’s administration to reform our current and failing federal bureaucracy to serve, protect, and defend the citizens of our republic.
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