What should be the role of Defense Department civilians below the secretary of defense in policymaking? During James Mattis’s tenure as the secretary of defense, senior civilians reported that they felt bypassed in the decision-making process and that their responsibilities were taken over by senior military officers. In November 2018, a Foreign Policy article quoted one former official that civilian control of the military “was already weakening in the last administration, and I think it basically fell off a cliff.” A congressionally mandated commission and commentary by former Defense Department officials echoed these concerns.
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