by Joseph Whalen

Created on: June 30, 2010

In any military structure it is absolutely vital to maintain the structure of command authority.  Without this unshakable standard of conduct a military becomes undisciplined and ineffective, resulting in nothing more than a group of thugs with weapons which they are trained to use.  In order to preserve the command structure a respect for authority must be maintained.  Violating that trust undermines the principles on which the military forces are established and governed.  Regardless of a soldier or generals political leanings the fact remains the President of the United States is still the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the United States and must be respected as such.

General McChrystal and his staff’s actions were not only disrespectful and unprofessional they were potentially caustic to the established chain of command.  One of the things that fully distinguish the United States from other countries, especially petty dictatorships and fascist regimes from the past is the fact that the military is governed by the civilian population.  Whether you agree with the decisions of the civilian authority or not, soldiers do not have the right to question the orders they are given provided they are legally issued orders.  General McChrystal's actions went against every fabric of military protocol and had to be challenged by the President.

The fact is the military’s purpose in day to day life in the United States is to protect democracy not to practice it.  This is an unfortunate side effect of the chain of command but a well established fact dating back to the inception of our country.  The General and his staff’s comments weren’t simply men venting frustration at obviously political matters as would be expected but not tolerated by soldiers in the field.  Instead it was an official position that a military authority in the United States Army took in an official statement to an accredited media organization.  It was a premeditated action of questionable judgment that directly challenged the civilian authority of the President and others.

The President had no choice but to take action against such blatant insubordination.  What the President did was far more generous than what would likely be afforded to an enlisted soldier who would surely have faced an official inquiry, possibly a court martial and even dishonorable discharge for questioning any of his authorities in

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