What I don’t understand about the Manning case — and what that may say about accountability in today’s Army
Speaking of nutjobs, what I don’t understand about the Manning case is where the hell his chain of command was. The guy was clearly unstable, it would seem from the testimony. So why was he let within 100 feet of classified information? I did a Google search but couldn’t find any indication that his senior ...
Speaking of nutjobs, what I don't understand about the Manning case is where the hell his chain of command was. The guy was clearly unstable, it would seem from the testimony. So why was he let within 100 feet of classified information?
Speaking of nutjobs, what I don’t understand about the Manning case is where the hell his chain of command was. The guy was clearly unstable, it would seem from the testimony. So why was he let within 100 feet of classified information?
I did a Google search but couldn’t find any indication that his senior NCO, or his company commander, have been held accountable. I did see a reference saying that his company commander was unaware of Manning’s behavioral issues. I don’t think that ignorance is a good alibi here. At the very least here, there is probably a good case study of commanders being asleep at the wheel.
Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1
More from Foreign Policy

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.

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 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.

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.