LB,
An excellent description of a point you made last week.
uw
June 13, 2003
By David Mattson
Late last week Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld selected
retired Gen. Peter Schoomaker to replace Gen. Eric Shinseki as the Army
Chief of Staff, which would mark the first time a commander of Special
Forces has been named to a position of authority over the conventional
military. Schoomaker's nomination is especially surprising considering that
the four-star general has been retired for three years. Returning retired
officers to active duty in high-level positions is not exactly a military
tradition. Only a handful of previous generals have been restored to active
duty after retirement, including Gens. Douglas MacArthur and George C.
Marshall.
"Schoomaker comes highly recommended as an innovative thinker," says Marcus
Corbin, a military analyst at the Center for Defense Information. "No matter
how impressive his reputation, Schoomaker's appointment makes a statement to
the Army that the active-duty generals have not been keeping up with the
changes Rumsfeld is looking for during a war on terror."
Says Maj. Andy Messing of the National Defense Council Foundation (NDCF),
"This is Rumsfeld's way of letting the military know he wants to implement
changes in their philosophy. ... This is a manifestation of that new policy.
I've already had two calls earlier today [June 11] telling me that the
Pentagon is in a tizzy over this. It leaves the other branches of the
military wondering what changes Rumsfeld has in mind for them."
By naming a Special Forces general as chief of staff, Rumsfeld hopes to
build up speed and efficiency, two major distinctions of the Special Forces
units. The nomination comes at a important time since both President George
W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld agree that Special Forces must
play an important role in the war on terror. "Rumsfeld recognizes the
changing reality of the battlefield," says NDCF President Milton Copulos.
"He is seeking to introduce a new strategic doctrine that acknowledges new
threat requirements."
Although Schoomaker could make history as the first chief of staff to rise
out of the Special Forces, he already has had a prestigious military career.
As a member of Delta Force he participated in the 1980 effort to rescue
American hostages from Iran. Since the 1970s, Schoomaker has served in
Special Operations holding several command positions before becoming head of
U.S. Special Operations Command in 1997, a post he held for three years
before retiring. Previously he worked closely with Gen. Tommy Franks, who
earlier this year declined Rumsfeld's offer for the chief of staff position. |
