Public Trust Requires Apolitical Military, Dempsey Says

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Sept. 17, 2012 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wants service members and veterans to consider what using the uniform for partisan politics does to the trust Americans have in their military.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey has maintained throughout his 38-year career that the American military, as a whole, must remain apolitical – meaning being neutral in political matters.

“I have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution and one of the principles of the Constitution is freedom of speech,” he said during an interview on his way to Ankara, Turkey. “Anyone who claims that I am in any way trying to deny someone freedom of speech, I just can’t accept that.”

Dempsey has been outspoken that service members have truly earned their right to vote, and that all Americans are entitled to private and personal opinions. But he also is worried that using the uniform for partisan purposes could damage the trust Americans have in their military.

Survey after survey reveals the American military is one of the most trusted and most respected institutions in the land, and maintaining that trust is key to the success of the United States, Dempsey said. In his studies of civil-military relations, he added, the cornerstone of the profession of arms is that “we remain apolitical – that we are not a special-interest group.”

And he applies that across the board. “I don’t care what side of the aisle someone happens to sit on or happens to support,” he said.

The chairman said he wants service members and those who have served and who may still use the title “just to think about what impact their actions will have on our standing as a profession with the American people if they engage in partisan political activity.”

“I just want them to think about it,” he said.

Retired general and flag officers must be extra careful when engaging in partisan political activities, the chairman said. They are held to a higher standard and probably should be, he explained, because many Americans do not make the distinction between an active duty and retired status. “And most [retired general and flag officers] understand that standard and meet it,” he added.

McRaven Warns Special Ops Community about Disclosing Classified Information

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON – The commander of U.S. Special Operations is expressing concern about former members of the community who he said “are using their ‘celebrity status’ to advance their personal or professional agendas,” and warned those who divulge classified information will be held accountable.

Navy Adm. William McRaven raised the issue in an email sent to the entire special operations community following several recent incidents involving former special operators. The latest was the announcement that a former Navy SEAL who participated in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden will publish a first-person account of the operation without first getting the book reviewed by the Defense Department for clearance.

“While as retired or former service members, they are well within their rights to advocate for certain causes or write books about their adventures, it is disappointing when these actions either try to represent the broader S.O.F. community, or expose sensitive information that could threaten the lives of their fellow warriors,” McRaven wrote.

At the Pentagon Friday, Spokesman George Little told reporters defense officials have not read the book, but do expect to “assess it for the potential that it contains classified information.” Any possible prosecution over leaked material would be up to the Justice Department, he said.

Adm. McRaven acknowledged the benefit of reading other special operators’ stories. He noted that his thesis while attending the Naval Postgraduate School was based on “a rigorous examination of available literature” and provided background for his own book, “the Theory of Special Operations.”

“Most of these books were wonderful accounts of courage, leadership, tough decision making, and martial skill, all of which benefited me as I tried to understand our past and how it could affect missions in the future,” he said in his email.

McRaven also recognized the value of movies that provide insight into the lives of special operations professionals, noting that seeing John Wayne’s appearance in “The Green Berets” influenced his own decision to become a special operator. “Countless stories have been told through the medium of film that needed to be told and I am thankful that they were,” he wrote.

But he drew a distinct line between what he called “recounting a story for the purposes of education or entertainment and telling a story that exposes sensitive activities just to garner greater readership and personal profit.” It’s a line he said must be respected – even after leaving the military.

“Every member of the special operations community with a security clearance signed a nondisclosure agreement that was binding during and after service in the military,” he said in his email. “If the U.S. Special Operations Command finds that an active duty, retired or former service member violated that agreement and that exposure of information was detrimental to the safety of U.S. forces, then we will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate.”

Current and former special operators have both a moral obligation and legal duty to submit their works for pre-publication security review. “We are fully prepared to work with any author who is looking to tell his story and wants a straightforward assessment of the potential security impacts of their work,” he wrote.

Addressing a related issue, McRaven expressed concern over “the growing trend of using the special operations ‘brand,’ our seal, symbols and unit names, as part of any political or special interest campaign.”

“Let me be completely clear on this issue: U.S.S.O.C.O.M. does not endorse any political viewpoint, opinion or special interest,” he wrote.

McRaven said he strongly encourages active-duty special operators to participate in the political process, as appropriate under ethics rules, and for retired members to do the same. “However, when a group brands itself as special operations for the purpose of pushing a specific agenda, then they have misrepresented the entire nature of S.O.F. and life in the military,” he said.

“Our promise to the American people is that we, the military, are nonpartisan, apolitical and will serve the president of the United States regardless of his political party,” McRaven emphasized. “By attaching a special operation’s moniker or a unit or service name to a political agenda, those individuals have now violated the most basic of our military principles.”

McRaven encouraged former special operators to “voice their concerns from the highest hilltop” when acting as private citizens. However, by claiming to represent a broader SOF constituency as they do so, “they do a disservice to all of their S.O.F. teammates who serve quietly and respectfully in support of this great nation,” he wrote.

“Our reputation with the American people is as high as it has ever been,” McRaventold the special operations community. “The sacrifices of our men and women downrange have earned us that respect. Let us not diminish that respect by using our service in special operations to benefit a few at the expense of the many.”

Dempsey: Political Activity Erodes Public Trust in Military

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, Aug. 22, 2012 – Using the uniform for partisan politics erodes the trust the American people have in their military, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said today.

During a discussion with reporters aboard a C-17 returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff addressed a question about a group of Navy SEALs who have put together a political action committee.

Dempsey has been outspoken that service members have truly earned their right to vote, and that all Americans are entitled to private and personal opinions.

But, the chairman said, he and his fellow members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are the stewards of the profession of arms, and must ensure service members don’t cross an important line.

“One of the things that marks us as a profession in a democracy is it’s most important we remain apolitical,” he said. “That’s how we maintain our trust with the American people. The American people don’t want us to become another special interest group. In fact, I think that confuses them.”

Dempsey said he believes partisan groups made up of former service members cloud the issue as well. “If someone uses the uniform for partisan politics, I’m disappointed in that,” he said. “I think it erodes that bond of trust we have with the American people.”

The chairman noted he has expressed this opinion before on his blog, and he said he has had incredible conversations in the blogosphere on the subject. He also discussed this soon after a young Army reservist appeared in uniform at a campaign rally, he said.

“We must understand why our military as a profession embraces political neutrality as a core value,” he wrote in his blog in June. “We show fidelity to the Constitution every day by embracing this foundational principle. We are not elected to serve; rather, we elect to serve.”

And maintaining this bond of trust between the American people and its military is key to the survival of both, the chairman said. The American people trust that the professional military will remain out of partisan politics, he added. The U.S. military does not stage coups to topple governments and place their own in charge, he said, and the American military is justifiably proud of serving the Constitution and following the orders of elected leaders.

“We’re not a profession simply because we say we’re a profession,” Dempsey wrote in a letter to the joint force upon assuming office as the nation’s top military officer last year. “We must continue to learn, to understand, and to promote the knowledge, skills, attributes and behaviors that define us as a profession.”

Gates Disappointed in Iraqi Political Progress, Optimistic on Security

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 2, 2007 - While acknowledging that he's disappointed with political upheaval within the Iraqi government, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he's hopeful about progress on the security front. "I think the developments on the political side are somewhat discouraging at the national level. And clearly, the withdrawal of the Sunnis from the government is discouraging," Gates told reporters during a flight back to Washington following a four-day visit to the Middle East.

"My hope is it can all be patched back together," he said.

Seeing the discord taking place in Iraq, Gates said, "in some ways, we probably all underestimated the depth of the mistrust and how difficult it would be for these guys to come together on legislation, which, let's face it, is not some kind of secondary thing."

"The kinds of legislation they're talking about will establish the framework of Iraq for the future, so it's almost like our Constitutional Convention," he said. "These are not secondary or tertiary issues they're debating. And the difficulty in coming to grips with those, we may all have underestimated six or eight months ago."

On the other hand, Gates called developments at the local level "more encouraging than I would have expected three or four months ago."

He cited widespread concern seven months ago that Anbar province had been lost to al Qaeda. Today, the people of Anbar are working with Iraqi and coalition forces to rid their province of terrorists and extremists.

"I am optimistic on the security side because of what I see in al Anbar and what we're seeing in some of the other provinces where we're getting some cooperation," Gates said. "I think some of the positive political developments have come in areas where we didn't expect it."

The key to continuing this success is, "not only establishing the security, but being able to hold onto those areas," he said.

It's also critical for the Iraqi Army and police "to be able to provide the continuity of that security over time," Gates said. "It's under that umbrella, I think, progress will be made at a national level."