There is only one national command authority. The national command authority is the constitutionally mandated, congressionally required,...
There is only one national command authority.
The national command authority is the constitutionally mandated, congressionally required, DoD-directed unbroken chain of command from the president of the United States as our commander-in-chief to the secretary of Defense.
Our entire Department of Defense — the brave men and women in uniform, rely on this chain of command every single day to execute the no-fail mission of protecting this great nation. There is no greater national security priority than maintaining its authority, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Any SECDEF who is absent in his duties and fails to notify the chain of command has committed one of the most egregious acts against the national defense of this nation.
SECDEF Austin, tragically, did just that. For four entire days, he was in a hospital and never informed the national command authority of his incapacitation. No one is saying the SECDEF can’t be out due to illness or even take a vacation, but there is a reason our command authority must be maintained, because the Department of Defense never takes a knee. By intentionally breaking the national command authority and failing to inform the commander-in-chief, President Biden had no idea his SECDEF was even laid up. Worse, the deputy secretary of defense has since admitted she was not even made aware of her boss’s hospitalization until days later- thus there can be no claim of lawful delegation (putting aside the fact that not all authorities can lawfully be so delegated).
The impact: What order does one take from whom, which is valid, and most importantly, how can there be any confidence it derives from a sound national command authority. Without such, there is no chain of command, and our military remains rudderless.
Our DoD divides the world into geographic regions we call combatant commands (ie, central command, indo-pacific command, etc). Each is led by a 4-star general officer (the highest rank in our current military). These combatant commanders and the soldiers underneath their authority are responsible for executing the national command authority in their region. Just imagine if one of them or Biden picked up the phone to call the SECDEF regarding a hostage situation in Africa, a terrorist attack in Afghanistan, or a break-out of war in the Middle East- only to find no one on the receiving end. Where do they get their orders, who calls the president, and how are troops deployed?
As the former chief of staff for the Department of Defense (and before that, the National Security Council representative charged with the responsibility of ensuring this chain of command with the nuclear football) I was responsible for effectuating the mechanics of the national command authority. There are dozens of employees in OSD and the Joint Chiefs Office. Yet, SECDEF’s Austin’s office literally put out a statement blaming his critical abdication of the national command authority on the equivalent of failing to carry a hall pass in high school. They said his chief of staff, Kelly Magsamen was sick, and unable to deliver notification to the White House. Complete and total DC swamp monster hot garbage. She is not the only one on staff, but she will be the scapegoat.
Look at it another way, what if during the Trump administration, I allowed the SECDEF I served, or any of them, to take four days off and didn’t notify anyone at the White House, let alone POTUS. The media, Congress, and the American people would all rightly be livid. There can be no distinction here just because Biden is at the helm. What’s worse is Biden’s response to this situation has been to double down on the political corruption cover-up operation Austin has deployed. This president has emphatically stated that he will not accept the resignation of Austin. He has thus validated the illegal actions of the national command authority, rewarded it, and jeopardized the safety of our nation. Perhaps most importantly, the brave men and women in our uniformed services, on the front lines of the fight, deserve better than political chicanery and cheap parlor tricks- they wear the cloth of our nation in defense of us; no one deserves better than them. I know President Trump delivered every day 100% of the time because I saw him execute the national command authority. The nation needs that back more than ever.
Austin’s resignation is only the first step- how this ever happened is a priority for Congress. A president’s ultimate responsibility is the authority surrounding a nuclear strike. Do you feel in good hands with Biden/Austin? When command and control fail, does anything else matter?
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