President Obama Does Not Listen To His Generals And Admirals

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during a hearing about Defense Department readiness Sept. 15, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Goldfein joined Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller during the hearing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Scott M. Ash)

Washington Times: Armed forces chiefs confirm sense of Obama distrust

As the four armed forces chiefs testified in the Senate about the national security dangers of mandated budget caps, Sen. Lindsey Graham asked each officer if he had discussed the readiness crisis with President Obama.

Their unanimous answers before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week underscored a key aspect of the Obama presidency, noted by his own past defense secretaries and, in a recent disclosure, a former NATO commander: The president maintains a wary approach in dealing with the four-star generals and admirals who direct his wars.

“Have you told the president what you’re telling us about the state of the military under sequestration?” asked Mr. Graham, South Carolina Republican. “Have you had a conversation with the commander in chief, telling him what you just told us?”

Army Gen. Mark Milley was the first to answer. “I have not personally had a conversation.”

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WNU Editor: I suspect that the Pentagon Chiefs are doing what many others are doing right now .... counting the days when President Obama leaves the White House. But who is to say that a Clinton or Trump will be any different .... they may actually be worse.

White House Has Told The Pentagon Not To Provoke China Or Russia

China's President Xi Jinping (right) and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, attend a welcome ceremony at the Xijiao State Guest Hotel, before the fourth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia summit in Shanghai, on May 20, 2014. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Josh Rogin, Bloomberg: The Pentagon's Lonely War Against Russia and China

At last weekend's Reagan National Defense Forum, top Pentagon officials warned about the coming great power battles with Russia and China. But the U.S. approach to both countries shows that other parts of the administration view those relationships in a very different way.

Before Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's keynote speech at the Reagan Presidential Library in California, his staff sent out the message that Carter would be making significant remarks about Russia and China, following his recent trip to Asia.

"We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot, war with Russia," Carter said. "We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake; the United States will defend our interests, our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all."

WNU Editor: President Obama is a lame duck, and the last thing that he and his supporters want is his legacy to be remembered for getting involved in a conflict with Russia or China. And while the Pentagon is sounding the alarm about the need to address long-term national security challenges now .... this is not a priority for this White House. Unfortunately .... both Russia's Putin and China's Xi are aware of this, and are taking full advantage of it to pursue their own foreign policy objectives and priorities without any concerns on what the U.S. reaction will be. My prediction .... it will be a year and a half before a new U.S. President will be in a position to influence policy .... and it will be during this time that both Russia and China are going to accelerate their foreign policy priorities .... which in turn will cause a rise in tensions when Americas allies who are now in the "cross-hairs" of Moscow and Beijing start to push back.

A Look At The Uneasy Relationship Exists Between President Obama And The Pentagon

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the Defense Strategic Review at the Pentagon in Washington January 5, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

WNU Editor: Presidents and the Pentagon usually have a different viewpoint on national security and defense related issues .... especially during times of war. President Obama has not been an exception to this rule .... but this AP article is a surprising and sobering analysis on the current relationship between the White House Obama and the Pentagon .... and it is a severe take. The link is here .... For Obama and the Pentagon, an uneasy relationship -- Julie Pace and Robert Burns (AP).

White House Insists That Their Syrian War Policy Is Working

Fissure Opens Between Pentagon and White House Over Assad’s Fate -- Time

Hagel told Rice a lack of clarity is complicating U.S. efforts to combat ISIS

President Barack Obama declared in August 2011 that Syrian leader Bashar Assad must “step aside” for the good of his country after his forces had killed nearly 2,000 fellow citizens. More than three years later, with Assad still in power, the Syrian civil war has killed some 200,000 people and given Islamic extremists territory to occupy. That has led Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to warn the White House that the U.S. has to stop ignoring the Syrian dictator.

In a two-page memo to National Security Adviser Susan Rice two weeks ago, Hagel said the lack of clarity is complicating U.S. efforts to combat the militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria, Pentagon officials say. The memo’s existence was first reported in the New York Times on Thursday.

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Previous Post: U.S. Secretary Of Defense Hagel Critical Of White House Syrian Policy

More News On Reports That The Pentagon And White House Differ On Syrian War Policy

White House says Syria strategy working, policy on Assad clear -- Reuters
White House insists Syria strategy working amid reports of critical Hagel memo -- The Guardian
Islamic State airstrikes in Syria spur White House infighting over Assad benefit -- Washington Times
Are anti-ISIS airstrikes in Syria aiding Assad? -- Majid Rafizadeh, Special to CNN
Hagel balks at Obama’s Syria strategy? Not really -- MSNBC

Update: I guess the White House sent him a memo .... Hagel will not discuss 'critical' Syria memo (Reuters).

Is President Obama Facing A Pentagon Backlash?

President Barack Obama meets with Gen. Raymond Odierno, Commanding General, United States Forces-Iraq, in the Oval Office, June 2, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Pentagon Backlash: Why Are Top Military Leaders Attacking Obama’s Foreign Policy? -- Husna Haq, Christian Science Monitor

Gen. Ray Odierno, the US Army Chief of Staff, is the latest Pentagon official to criticize President Obama's foreign policy. Is that unusual?

On Tuesday, Gen. Ray Odierno, the US Army Chief of Staff, publicly questioned President Obama’s plan to reduce the size of America’s ground-combat forces, joining a growing chorus of current and former administration officials speaking out against Obama’s foreign policy.

Speaking at a news conference during the annual meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army, Odierno cited new threats in the world that forestall the shrinking of the Army, as Obama has repeatedly called for.

“The world is changing in front of us. We have seen Russian aggression in Europe, we have seen ISIS, we have seen increased stability in other places,” General Odierno told the gathered crowd. “So I now have concern whether even going below 490,000 [troops] is the right thing to do or not, because of what I see potentially on the horizon.”

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My Comment: This is unprecedented .... especially on the sheer number of officials who are now openly voicing their opinions and analysis that differ from President Obama's. But for reasons that he is keeping to himself .... President Obama is letting them do this (for now).

Should President Obama Ignore His Generals?

President Barack Obama and Brig. Gen. Erik Kurilla view photos of fallen military personnel at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 25, 2014. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Why It’s OK for Obama To Ignore Military Advice -- Lawrence J. Korb, Defense One

Here we go again.

Many critics of President Barack Obama who want us to send thousands of American ground troops to destroy and defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, claim that by pledging not to give a direct combat mission in Iraq and Syria to the troops, Obama is ignoring military advice that the consequences of taking this option off the table will be disastrous for America and the region.

Advocates of this position point to recommendations by Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of U.S. Central Command, the testimony of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, and the remarks of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno the following day to his fellow Army chiefs in Europe, who have all said that conditions on the ground in Iraq and Syria should dictate military strategy. Other retired military officers, like Gen. James Mattis, who preceded Austin at CENTCOM, have also argued that the president should not rule out the possibility of the need for a larger ground force.

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My Comment: The President looks at a situation with the big picture in mind .... Generals look at the military operational aspects on what is necessary to achieve the President's objectives as outlined by his strategy. It is wise (and probably recommended) that at times the advice of the military should only be taken into consideration, but what I find is disconcerting on what needs to be done to contain the  Islamic State is the almost universal chorus from the Pentagon that the resources that have been given to them is not enough to achieve the White House's strategic objectives. I know that this could be the Pentagon doing a CYA (covering you ass) .... but when everyone is coming out and saying no .... the strategy will not work .... this is where my concerns rise.

Another Former Top General Is Critical Of President Obama's Islamic State Strategy

Photo: General James T. Conway

Retired Head Of Marine Corps: Obama’s ISIS Strategy Doesn’t Have ‘A Snowball’s Chance In Hell Of Succeeding’ -- Daily Caller

The man who was the top Marine general from 2006 until his retirement in 2010 says President Barack Obama’s strategy to defeat the terrorist group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is doomed to fail.

“I don’t think the president’s plan has a snowball’s chance in hell of succeeding,” retired Marine General James Conway, who served as the 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps during the end of the Bush administration and the beginning of the Obama administration, said at the Maverick PAC Conference in Washington, D.C. Friday, according to a source in attendance.

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My Comment: All the Generals (both current and former) know each other .... and it appears that they are talking to each other.  Bottom line .... all of them hate the mission that has been given to them by the White House.

The U.S. Military Becoming More Vocal In Opposing President Obama's Stratgey To Combat The Islamic State

Rift Widens Between Obama, U.S. Military Over Strategy To Fight Islamic State -- Washington Post

Flashes of disagreement over how to fight the Islamic State are mounting between President Obama and U.S. military leaders, the latest sign of strain in what often has been an awkward and uneasy relationship.

Even as the administration has received congressional backing for its strategy, with the Senate voting Thursday to approve a plan to arm and train Syrian rebels, a series of military leaders have criticized the president’s approach against the Islamic State militant group.

Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who served under Obama until last year, became the latest high-profile skeptic on Thursday, telling the House Intelligence Committee that a blanket prohibition on ground combat was tying the military’s hands. “Half-hearted or tentative efforts, or airstrikes alone, can backfire on us and actually strengthen our foes’ credibility,” he said. “We may not wish to reassure our enemies in advance that they will not see American boots on the ground.”

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Previous Post: The Growing Rift Between President Obama And His Generals

My Comment: The U.S. intelligence community is also now starting to voice their opposition .... The CIA Prepares To Go To War Against The Islamic State Even Though They Think President Obama's Strategy Is Doomed To Failure.

What's my take .... the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community can oppose and disagree all that they want .... but as long as President Obama has the support of Republicans and Democrats in Congress .... this is the strategy and policy that will be followed.

The Growing Rift Between President Obama And His Generals

White House photos 2/27/09 by Pete Souza

The Rift Between Obama And His Generals On ISIS -- Zack Beauchamp, VOX

There's no mistaking what President Obama's Wednesday speech at MacDill Air Force Base was: a gigantic slap in the face to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey. But to be fair, Dempsey slapped first when he publicly dissented from the administration's position on deploying combat troops to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Obama's latest speech shut him down.

The font of the disagreement was Dempsey's Tuesday testimony at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, during which he said he'd "recommend" a US combat deployment to fight ISIS under certain circumstances. In a short, fiery portion of his Wednesday remarks — the above video — Obama restated his opposition to this plan in no uncertain terms. "I will not commit you and the rest of our armed forces to fighting another ground war in Iraq," the president said definitively.

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More News On The Growing Rift Between President Obama And His Generals

Barack Obama silences generals on US ground troops in Iraq -- The Telegraph
White House Responds To Dempsey’s Comments: Obama ‘Will Not Deploy Ground Troops In Combat Role’ -- CBS
Can Obama Keep His Generals in Check in the War Against ISIS? -- Eli Lake, Daily Beast
Obama, generals part ways on ground war in Iraq -- Trib Live
Obama’s isolation deepens over Isis -- Geoff Dyer in Washington, Financial Times
Mark Levin: "A Revolt Going On With Top Generals And Obama" -- Real Clear Politics
Obama vs. the generals -- Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post
On Ground Troops in Iraq, Obama and his Generals Appear at Odds -- Ernesto Londoño, New York Times

My Comment: The backtracking and denials from some Generals of what they may have said is now starting .... Odierno did not call for U.S. ground forces to fight Islamic State, spokeswoman says (Navy Times). I guess they have figured out that in this battle .... they are going to lose to this White House.

On a side note .... the group that I have found to be very silent on the White House ISIS strategy in the past few weeks is the U.S. intelligence community. Now if they start to leak stuff .... that is when you know that President Obama is in trouble.

Are President Obama's Generals Going Rogue On His ISIS War Strategy?

Can Obama Keep His Generals In Check In The War Against ISIS? -- Eli Lake & Josh Rogin, Daily Beast

The president promised no combat troops to fight ISIS, but his top general says he may recommend them. Why Obama and his commanders are not on the same page for the new war.

In his major address explaining America’s new war against ISIS, President Obama pledged that there would be no U.S. combat troops. On Tuesday, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he may recommend ground forces in the future.

The White House is seeking to gloss over the rift between the president and his top general, but it is clear that just below the waterline Obama is not on the same page as the commanders who will be leading the new fight. U.S. military officials and members of Congress have complained privately for weeks that Obama appears unwilling to commit the resources necessary to achieve his aim of defeating ISIS.

The Washington Post reported this week that Gen. Lloyd Austin, the general in charge of the military command that includes Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, recommended a war strategy with a small contingent of special operations forces fighting alongside Iraqi and Kurdish security forces. But Obama rejected that advice. Obama travels to Tampa Wednesday to meet with Austin about the ISIS strategy on his own turf.

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Update #1: Obama to visit Florida for ISIS battle plan briefing -- Orlando Sentinel
Update #2: Obama to huddle with generals planning IS assault -- Times of Israel/AFP

My Comment: There appears to a difference of opinion on how to confront The Islamic State .... but he is the Commander in Chief .... and they will follow his orders.

President Obama And His Field Commander

As top commander of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal spends several days a week visiting military outposts across the country and meeting with local Afghan officials. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Obama Redefines White House Relationship With Top Field Commander -- L.A. Times

President Obama does not have the one-on-one relationship with Gen. McChrystal that President Bush did with Gen. Petraeus, but rather a more traditional one along the chain of command.

Reporting from Washington - President Obama and his predecessor differ significantly in their approach to America's wars. They differ at least as much in their relationship with their top battlefield commander.

During the Bush administration, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the then-ground commander in Iraq, assumed the role of a trusted advisor who frequently visited the White House or talked to the president by phone.

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My Comment: President Obama and his close associates have no interest in having a celebrity General .... and are conducing themselves accordingly. This was revealed when General McChrystal's gave his interview to 60 Minutes. When he answered that he not been in contact with the President for a number of months after being appointed the job of top field commander in Afghanistan, you can sense right away that this not only rattled the White House, but it also rattled the Pentagon and many of our Afghan allies. The negative publicity also emboldened the President's war critics, and it helped to put into question the President's committment to Afghanistan.

But .... if the situation goes south in Afghanistan .... expect General McChrystal and many in the Pentagon to be put front and center and blamed for such a debacle. Publicity and celebrity has its drawbacks, which for a General is always fatal when he has to butt heads against a politician.

President Obama Heads To The Pentagon

(Image from ABC News Photo Illustration)

Obama To Meet With Joint Chiefs On Wednesday-- FOX News

The meeting follows a sit-down last week with President Obama's top national security and military advisers.

President Obama plans to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff Wednesday at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.

The meeting comes on the heels of a sit-down with top national security advisers and military commanders last week.

Obama's administration faces the difficult task of engineering an orderly pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq while sending more forces into Afghanistan to stabilize the region.

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Update: President Obama Heads to the Pentagon Tomorrow -- ABC News

My Comment: This is the agenda for tomorrow. Iraq, Afghanistan, Budgets and procurements, modernizing America's nuclear forces, terrorism threats (maybe) and other top secret stuff that only a few know about, and (finally) Guantanamo.

Joint Chiefs Chairman 'Very Positive' After Meeting With Obama

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Photo Navy Times/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley / Navy

From The Washington Post:

Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went unarmed into his first meeting with the new commander in chief -- no aides, no PowerPoint presentation, no briefing books. Summoned nine days ago to President-elect Barack Obama's Chicago transition office, Mullen showed up with just a pad, a pen and a desire to take the measure of his incoming boss.

There was little talk of exiting Iraq or beefing up the U.S. force in Afghanistan; the one-on-one, 45-minute conversation ranged from the personal to the philosophical. Mullen came away with what he wanted: a view of the next president as a non-ideological pragmatist who was willing to both listen and lead. After the meeting, the chairman "felt very good, very positive," according to Mullen spokesman Capt. John Kirby.

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My Comment: I have never read a news report in which the Chairman of the Joint's Chiefs leaves a meeting with a President-elect and is unhappy. True sentiments will only be known in the next few months when President-elect Obama's team at the White House starts to make their demands on the Pentagon.

My personal take .... this is the high point of the relationship .... everything (unfortunately) is downhill from now.