Austin had what many called a gender reassignment operation that went south, or a mental health issue due to a nervous breakdown, possible drugs or alcohol treatment, then again a stroke or heart attack.
Then again maybe it was his hemorrhoid's acting up.
Is it possible that Austin, like most of the Biden cabinet, is an irrelevant figurehead and that the real decisions are made by unelected and unaccountable deep state SES and GS15 bureaucrats and their colleagues in the swamp? If so, then there was noi reason to bother the poor man while he was at Walter Reed. I am sure we all wish him a speedy recovery.
The dangerous, arrogant insularity of the DC NatSec crowd came to full flower in the Trump years.
As our Porch host is fond of doing, you can see how this has transpired in interpretive dance...
All the Keefers had vapors over mean tweets, went into action, and wrote distraught letters, made histrionic speeches, and stuff like fabricating fake dossiers to "Queeg" Trump..
It won't be just the military. To your point, all of the DC Swamp critters are complicit. We've already seen the "3 letter" agencies engage in open sedition. Add the cubicle riders, the consultants, the industry Executives, the "I AM SCIENCE" megalomaniacs...
They all see the rest of, We The People, as lower class chattel.
I spent 40 years working for the Navy. One thing that was pounded into even the DOD Civil Service was subordination to elected authority. We didn't have to like or respect them (and I don't care what your politics are, over 40 years you WILL work for Presidents you love...and loathe). But we DID have to obey all lawful commands.
One of my personal icons is General Cornwallis. Yes, the one who surrendered at Yorktown. As LORD Cornwallis, he strongly disagreed with the British Government, thought the Americans were in the right. As GENERAL Cornwallis, he did his best to execute the policy set by his superiors. He was a professional. That's what professionals do.
True. Lords Richard and William Howe were sympathetic to the American cause, as well. Duty reigns supreme. They took the King's shilling and conducted themselves as professionals.
In keeping with precedents -- or are they traditions? -- established by the debacle of Kabul in 2021, our illustrious SecDef will retain his sinecure and paycheck:
There was a British comedy called Yes, MInister and a sequel Yes, Prime Minister in which a complete nonentity went from being a backbencher to a minor cabinet member to 10 Downing Street. His rise was made possible by high ranking knighted civil servants who really ran Great Britain and didn't want some politican interfering in the business of government. Now, life is imitating art.
Have been a subscriber to that channel for a while and have the utmost respect for Ward Carroll. He did a balanced, fair video on Hultgreen a few years back. I was listening intently to the linked video and was gobsmacked again around 13:08. Got over it real quick after I replayed it and understood what was said in context. Getting gobsmacked, for me, can often just be a reflexive reaction. What was said at 13:08 was a nothingburger, and I only mention it to get ahead of possible unwarranted Leftist pushback.
Chain of command. Used to actually mean something. Would Austin accept this from a COCOM? The answer is no. He is an odd duck anyways. Time to go. Likely suffering cardiac issues due to Covid vaccines and boosters.
Actually, the utter break down in Nuclear Command and Control order of succession is the greatest and most dangerous gap.
This could not have happened unless Austin countermanded and ordered multiple personnel outside the SecDef office to conceal the fact. His protective detail is required to track his status and report to multiple inter-agency offices.
And amazingly, he forced all the DoD civilians and uniformed member to give up all their privacy so he could run his jab experiment on the population. Need the data for the experiments, dontcha know, and now they deny the data. They should all rot.
Hmm... Would this be the same Lloyd Austin chap who presided over a complete-total-draconian-procrustean-everyone/no exceptions program to... uh... "vaccinate" (with an experimental goop produced under TUA) everyone in the US military, plus civs, plus contractors? Over an ailment with .03% mortality rate, mostly among elderly and/or impaired immune systems? That Lloyd Austin? Whose medical "privacy" is soooo important?
Excellent analysis, again, CDR Sal. I'd used a similar analogy...virtually any service would fire a CO for "loss of confidence" for something similar.
Even worse, Austin is #2 in the National Command Authority. #1 was out of CONUS on vacation. So brings to question, since he didn't tell her he was incapacitated who was taking charge as the NCA in the President's absence? Some 04 watch stander in the Pentagon NMCC?
SecDef Raytheon MIA, Deputy SecDef on the beach in Puerto Rico. The adults are back in charge! Time for another color revolution to distract from the regime's failures: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/how-to-execute-a-color-revolution
Good to see you here on the Front Porch, tovarisch. Welcome.
If Biden is checked out most of the time and gets away with it, why not the SecDef?
Why not indeed. Plenty of other bureaucrats to step in. Which ones? I gotta believe our intel chiefs knew what was up.
The question is 'who's in charge'.
With Austin out, somebody (DepSecDef?) should have been placed firmly in charge.
With Biden out, nobody knows who's in charge.
With Biden at his Oval Office desk, nobody knows who's in charge,.
Give Lloyd a break. Maybe he was transitioning to Lois.
The administration is big on these sorts of medical procedures and they can take time.
Anyway, I am sure Admiral Levine was there to run the show.
And the world wonders...
Austin had what many called a gender reassignment operation that went south, or a mental health issue due to a nervous breakdown, possible drugs or alcohol treatment, then again a stroke or heart attack.
Then again maybe it was his hemorrhoid's acting up.
There had to be more people in on the secret. Walter Reed CO had to have reported up the medical chain that SecDef had checked in.
Self licking ice cream cone. They reported up the medial chain of command to Austin.
The Army Surgeon General would have known (and his sr. staff ) 10 seconds later) before he entered the door to the building.
Is it possible that Austin, like most of the Biden cabinet, is an irrelevant figurehead and that the real decisions are made by unelected and unaccountable deep state SES and GS15 bureaucrats and their colleagues in the swamp? If so, then there was noi reason to bother the poor man while he was at Walter Reed. I am sure we all wish him a speedy recovery.
The dangerous, arrogant insularity of the DC NatSec crowd came to full flower in the Trump years.
As our Porch host is fond of doing, you can see how this has transpired in interpretive dance...
All the Keefers had vapors over mean tweets, went into action, and wrote distraught letters, made histrionic speeches, and stuff like fabricating fake dossiers to "Queeg" Trump..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KekChFdIe00
The open Disloyalty to Command was simply despicable.
Herman Wouk pegged how corrosive and dangerous such a disruption is...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw6gwGawbXA
What a sorry bunch.
Now we are here, where the DoD Establishment has forgotten who they actually work for...
And we are closer to this than most people realize:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ0rdbG2etQ
It won't be just the military. To your point, all of the DC Swamp critters are complicit. We've already seen the "3 letter" agencies engage in open sedition. Add the cubicle riders, the consultants, the industry Executives, the "I AM SCIENCE" megalomaniacs...
They all see the rest of, We The People, as lower class chattel.
Great points.
You don't hear much from General Mattis, General Clapper or Admiral McRaven these days.
I guess they got their thirty pieces of silver.
They'll be back to S$%tTalk the PotUS should those pesky people have the temerity and good fortune to put the Bad Orange Man back in office.
I spent 40 years working for the Navy. One thing that was pounded into even the DOD Civil Service was subordination to elected authority. We didn't have to like or respect them (and I don't care what your politics are, over 40 years you WILL work for Presidents you love...and loathe). But we DID have to obey all lawful commands.
One of my personal icons is General Cornwallis. Yes, the one who surrendered at Yorktown. As LORD Cornwallis, he strongly disagreed with the British Government, thought the Americans were in the right. As GENERAL Cornwallis, he did his best to execute the policy set by his superiors. He was a professional. That's what professionals do.
Sad to say, this piece of work is the desired standard today...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Vindman#/media/File%3AAlexander_Vindman.png
I wonder to whom he provided fellatio to get the CIB. He and his brother are commie shit stains.
True. Lords Richard and William Howe were sympathetic to the American cause, as well. Duty reigns supreme. They took the King's shilling and conducted themselves as professionals.
In keeping with precedents -- or are they traditions? -- established by the debacle of Kabul in 2021, our illustrious SecDef will retain his sinecure and paycheck:
https://news.yahoo.com/biden-isnt-considering-firing-austin-161844105.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Harvard needs a new president.
There was a British comedy called Yes, MInister and a sequel Yes, Prime Minister in which a complete nonentity went from being a backbencher to a minor cabinet member to 10 Downing Street. His rise was made possible by high ranking knighted civil servants who really ran Great Britain and didn't want some politican interfering in the business of government. Now, life is imitating art.
If only television produced anything half as witty as Yes, Minister these days.
You are not alone in being gobsmacked, CDR.
https://conservativewahoo.substack.com/p/dod-follies?publication_id=251051&post_id=140444237&isFreemail=true&r=1i2jd
Bryan McGrath was guest on Ward Carroll's channel live today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqND4Ny16xU
Absolutely love Wards channel!!
Have been a subscriber to that channel for a while and have the utmost respect for Ward Carroll. He did a balanced, fair video on Hultgreen a few years back. I was listening intently to the linked video and was gobsmacked again around 13:08. Got over it real quick after I replayed it and understood what was said in context. Getting gobsmacked, for me, can often just be a reflexive reaction. What was said at 13:08 was a nothingburger, and I only mention it to get ahead of possible unwarranted Leftist pushback.
How is this much different than what happened with the "Afghanistan bail out" ... I'd call it par for the course with this administration.
Chain of command. Used to actually mean something. Would Austin accept this from a COCOM? The answer is no. He is an odd duck anyways. Time to go. Likely suffering cardiac issues due to Covid vaccines and boosters.
COCOM awareness was the most dangerous communication gap
Actually, the utter break down in Nuclear Command and Control order of succession is the greatest and most dangerous gap.
This could not have happened unless Austin countermanded and ordered multiple personnel outside the SecDef office to conceal the fact. His protective detail is required to track his status and report to multiple inter-agency offices.
This is beyond fucked up.
Austin would make a great president of Harvard.
And amazingly, he forced all the DoD civilians and uniformed member to give up all their privacy so he could run his jab experiment on the population. Need the data for the experiments, dontcha know, and now they deny the data. They should all rot.
Yep. Typical. Do as I say.
He does not embody leadership by example.
Hmm... Would this be the same Lloyd Austin chap who presided over a complete-total-draconian-procrustean-everyone/no exceptions program to... uh... "vaccinate" (with an experimental goop produced under TUA) everyone in the US military, plus civs, plus contractors? Over an ailment with .03% mortality rate, mostly among elderly and/or impaired immune systems? That Lloyd Austin? Whose medical "privacy" is soooo important?
Can't wait for Kirby to try and explain how this Goat Rope was just a routine Ops Normal event...
Kirby is a classic example of a fuckknuckle.
And in November, the choice will probably be between 2 candidates in worse shape than Austin...
I'm betting there is a disturbing background to this.
Excellent analysis, again, CDR Sal. I'd used a similar analogy...virtually any service would fire a CO for "loss of confidence" for something similar.
Even worse, Austin is #2 in the National Command Authority. #1 was out of CONUS on vacation. So brings to question, since he didn't tell her he was incapacitated who was taking charge as the NCA in the President's absence? Some 04 watch stander in the Pentagon NMCC?
A newish Austin staffy was briefing the President when he, personally, found out about his boss.
Everyone should resign after this shit show. In no organization, is this an appropriate behavior.
No one resigns for poor performance anymore. But hopefully Secretary Austin will decide he needs more time with his grandkids.
Biden should have resigned after the Hunter stuff, but Kamala is not compliant enough to take his place.
Probably something like that keeping some people in office.
I had "Commit seppuku in disgrace" in mind, but resignation will be adequate.
Conveniently not an option, cultural appropriation.
Update: social media is now joking about making the Secretary an Honorary CWO2. Dark humor FTW.