Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

A few words in defense of General Flynn

I worry that Michael Flynn is not a good fit for national security advisor. Even so, I think the discussions of his sharing intel with the Pakistani military are unfair.

flynn
flynn

I worry that Michael Flynn is not a good fit for national security advisor. Even so, I think the discussions of his sharing intel with the Pakistani military are unfair. Lots of officers do what they need to do in combat. If it didn’t hurt civilians and was not a war crime, I am not really worried. Rather, sharing intelligence in a moment of crisis strikes me as informed risk-taking, exactly what we should want in our field commanders.

I worry that Michael Flynn is not a good fit for national security advisor. Even so, I think the discussions of his sharing intel with the Pakistani military are unfair. Lots of officers do what they need to do in combat. If it didn’t hurt civilians and was not a war crime, I am not really worried. Rather, sharing intelligence in a moment of crisis strikes me as informed risk-taking, exactly what we should want in our field commanders.

Also, every single person I know who has commanded at a high level in combat has at one point or another done something like this. The finger-wagging over classification violations is unbecoming. The question should be not whether he violated a regulation, but whether he did the right thing. I don’t know, but I suspect he did. (And I am not a fan of the Pakistani military, either.)

In other Trump/national security news, I see that retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg has been tapped to be chief of staff for the National Security Council. I knew Kellogg many years ago, and was impressed by his frankness and intelligence. But I am guessing that Trump likes him because he has seen him on Fox News. Mark this down as perhaps picking the right person for the wrong reason. It does make me fear that Trump will appoint retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West to a job for the same wrong reason.

Something I couldn’t figure out quickly: Was Flynn G-2 when Kellogg commanded the 82nd Airborne?

Photo credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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