Why Congress Mandates Civilians Lead the Military - NBC News
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Before retired Marine Gen. James Mattis can get a confirmation hearing to become the nation’s next secretary of defense, he’ll have to get past a decades-old law meant to ensure a cornerstone of American democracy — civilian control of the military.
The reasons behind putting a civilian in charge of the Department of Defense are numerous. The secretary of defense has immense responsibilities as the only person aside from the president who can authorize military action and is an influential voice in the decision to launch a nuclear strike.
The National Security Act of 1947 states that a secretary of defense will be appointed “from civilian life” by the president. The law calls for a grace period of ten years before an active duty officer can hold the post, though Congress knocked down the waiting period to seven years in 2008.
“The provision is a law because of America’s nervousness of giving the military too much power,” said Charles Stevenson, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
“There is a concern that someone who has been a general all their adult lives doesn’t really understand civilian life,” Stevens added. “The secretary of defense has to deal with domestic businesses, has to recruit people from the civilian job sector. If he is just used to commanding he might not be used to commanding civilian society.”
Mattis would be just the second retired general to lead the military. Army Gen. George C. Marshall, a five-star general, served as President Harry Truman’s secretary of defense from 1950 to 1951 as he oversaw the Marshall Plan aimed at rebuilding Europe after World War II.