Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Commandant’s response “a weak legalistic dodge”

The commandant’s response “a weak legalistic dodge,” ...Gary Solis, Former Marine Corps Judge Advocate, current Georgtown & George Washington Law Professor

The Major Weirick issue is important but when viewed through the lens of Amos' entire tenure as Commandant, is simply another example of a HQMC gone off the tracks.  via Foreign Policy...
The scrutiny has led to growing concern at the Pentagon about whether the commandant's legacy can be salvaged, several Marine officers there told Foreign Policy. He also is seen as damaged by many on Capitol Hill, said one senior staff member for a Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee. Like many individuals for this story, the officers and staff member spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue and not wanting to be perceived as crossing the commandant. The staff member said that because Amos has less than a year until he retires, there is little appetite in Congress to debate whether he can still do his job well, but the questions have been raised.
And then this....
"Amos runs the risk of being a lame duck, and that's something that would be unique for a commandant," the Republican staffer said. "I think a lot of people look at this, and where they see smoke, there's fire. At this point, a pattern has developed, and I think people wonder whether he can effectively lead the Marine Corps."
And finally this...
But the irony of the commandant calling sharply and specifically for Marines to act ethically while he faces an IG investigation is not lost on rank-and-file Marines, one Marine sergeant major with more than 20 years in the Marine Corps told Foreign Policy.
"He's pointing the finger in the wrong direction," the sergeant major said. "At this point, it's pretty clear he's an unethical guy and only is out to take care of himself."
The Marine Corps needs to do a serious after action and lessons learned on the tenure of General Amos as Commandant.

Its obvious that he has failed.  Its obvious that he no longer has the trust of those he leads.

The question that needs to be answered is this.  How do we prevent another substandard officer from wrecking the Corps if a President appoints another politician in uniform instead of a Marine to the top spot? 

2 comments :

  1. Amos's reason for the "weak legalistic dodge” was that there is an ongoing DOD IG investigation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the Marine Corps Times article covered that as did the law professor. the IG inspection is nothing intense. no criminal charges will come from it. as a matter of fact if he's innocent it will be proven by the IG report. what he's worried about is that the worse thing a Commander can be seen to do is to lie to his men.

      in this case Amos is suspected of lying to the entire Marine Corps.

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