With the U.S. presidential election about a month away, analysts and pundits continue to speculate about who Harris or Trump will bring into their administrations. Yet, one crucial point overlooked is the sort of individual who will serve as secretary of defense. In other words, would a Harris or Trump administration appoint a civilian or military official to the position? The United States Code asserts that the secretary of defense can only be “appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.” However, there have been a total of three exceptions to this rule­—two of them from the Trump and Biden administrations.

The next administration should return to basics and appoint a civilian as secretary of defense. Appointing a former military officer to the position seems understandable on the surface. After all, members of the armed services possess a keen expertise in warfare that most of the population cannot match. However, while knowledge of warfare is an obvious need for the Department of Defense, it is only one part of the job. 

The position of secretary of defense serves as the bridge between politics and war. The office develops America’s defense strategy, which involves political, societal, and economic considerations, not just military ones. For instance, some of the job’s duties include deciding on the funding appropriation among each branch of the armed forces and helping to create a conventional and nuclear force posture to keep America safe.

Hiring a civilian as defense secretary prevents the Department of Defense from showing bias toward one military branch over the others. Former Department of Defense employees during Robert McNamara’s time argued—rather convincingly—that a civilian defense official is likely to consider and balance the roles and needs of each military branch in achieving America’s national security strategy more objectively than a former general or admiral. A secretary of defense must approve funds and weapons programs for each military branch and have a clear-eyed analysis of the requirements for U.S. national security. 

As the sociologist Morris Janowitz explained, those who belong to a profession view themselves as distinctive from other groups and individuals. Applying this sociological explanation to the military, individuals who have served in the armed services tend to feel an attachment to the branch they belonged to. This preference for one’s in-group was one of the many factors that led to former Marine Corps general James Mattis’ isolation within the department. According to former Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman, he “‘insulated [himself] amongst a staff of former Marines and Naval officers.’”

Lastly—and perhaps most importantly—appointing a civilian defense secretary would bolster trust in the presidency and the U.S. Constitution. With so many Americans currently feeling isolated from those who run the government, it would be unwise to exacerbate the growing trust deficit that exists between the public and the Pentagon. 

America’s founders explicitly sought to avoid the concentration of military power. A civilian in charge of America’s national defense can hold America’s military accountable to the nation’s democratic principles and act as a counterbalance to the Joint Chief of Staff’s influence on the president’s decisions.

In the end, the militarization of DOD leadership widens the gap between civilians and members of the military. If civilian policymakers don’t understand the military, they are bound to overestimate its power. In international politics, the military is important, but it has limits on obtaining power within the international arena.

A civilian leading the Pentagon does not necessarily guarantee prudent defense policymaking. Some civilian secretaries of defense supported disastrous wars, such as Vietnam and Iraq. Alternatively, others helped implement innovative nuclear strategies that kept America safe and prevented the outbreak of nuclear war. The moral of the story is that defense secretaries are imperfect, but the U.S. Constitution gives civilians serving in government the “right to be wrong.”

A civilian leading the Pentagon will at least renew adherence to the norm of a civilian-led government and hopefully contribute some fresh ideas to a department that is in dire need of innovation. Amid fears of democratic backsliding in America and the emergence of a new era of great power competition, appointing a civilian to lead the Department of Defense would be an easy win for America.  

Benjamin Giltner is a DC-based foreign policy analyst with a Master’s in International Affairs from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. Benjamin is interested in issues pertaining to grand strategy, Europe, diplomacy, international politics, Russia, China, national security, and conflict resolution.

Image: Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com.