Defense, Democracy, Populism, & Domestic Politics, Power & Security Amid Pentagon upheaval, military officers face a fraught few months

Perry World House Director of Communications and Research, John Gans, is quoted in this piece from The Washington Post on the uncertainty facing military officials in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election. 

A major shake-up of the Pentagon’s civilian leadership has thrust top military officers into a fraught position amid mounting concerns that the White House could use a chaotic transition period to push through potentially destabilizing decisions or attempt to block the handover to a Biden administration...

“In the historical sweep of the Pentagon, 70 days isn’t much,” said John Gans, who served as chief speechwriter under Defense Secretary Ash Carter, referring to the time remaining before the Jan. 20 inauguration. Gans noted that the United States has been at war in Afghanistan for nearly 7,000 days. “But in the life of Mark Milley, 70 days is going to feel like a lifetime,” he said.

Read more in The Washington Post >>