Mr. Hegseth’s Trifecta – The Slash and Burn Approach
BLUF – Retired Navy Capt. John Cordle critiques three recent Pentagon personnel policies—testing prospective flag officers, cutting general and flag officer billets by 20%, and ending tenure for civilian service-academy faculty—arguing that the first is unlikely to have much effect while the latter two risk unintended consequences for readiness, retention, military families and the quality of officer education. John Cordle For Navy Medicine, the flag-officer reductions could have downstream effects on O-6 and O-5 leadership billets and organizational readiness, while Cordle’s broader concern is that rapidly implemented personnel changes without clear measures of effectiveness may ultimately weaken the force.