Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Marine CO gets the big Hawaii heave-ho

Col. Jeffrey Woods was commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. I am sorry for all these reliefs, but glad to see the Navy Department realizes that disclosing such information is good. It is too bad that the Army has forgotten that such dismissals are the public’s business, and that taking care of the public interest ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons

Col. Jeffrey Woods was commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. I am sorry for all these reliefs, but glad to see the Navy Department realizes that disclosing such information is good. It is too bad that the Army has forgotten that such dismissals are the public's business, and that taking care of the public interest and the private soldier come before the feelings or careers of senior officers. George Marshall knew that. In 1941, explaining his culling of the officer corps, he wrote that, "In all these matters the interests of the soldier and the nation, rather than that of the individual officer, have governed." I wonder if anyone teaches this stuff at West Point.

Col. Jeffrey Woods was commander of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. I am sorry for all these reliefs, but glad to see the Navy Department realizes that disclosing such information is good. It is too bad that the Army has forgotten that such dismissals are the public’s business, and that taking care of the public interest and the private soldier come before the feelings or careers of senior officers. George Marshall knew that. In 1941, explaining his culling of the officer corps, he wrote that, “In all these matters the interests of the soldier and the nation, rather than that of the individual officer, have governed.” I wonder if anyone teaches this stuff at West Point.

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On Military

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.