Published January 8, 2024
The following is a guest post from Kash Patel, the former Defense Department Chief of Staff and author of Government Gangsters
There is only one national command authority.
The national command authority is the constitutionally mandated, congressionally required, DoD-directed unbroken chain of command from the president of the United States as our commander-in-chief to the secretary of Defense.
Our entire Department of Defense — the brave men and women in uniform, rely on this chain of command every single day to execute the no-fail mission of protecting this great nation. There is no greater national security priority than maintaining its authority, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Any SECDEF who is absent in his duties and fails to notify the chain of command has committed one of the most egregious acts against the national defense of this nation.
SECDEF Austin, tragically, did just that. For four entire days, he was in a hospital and never informed the national command authority of his incapacitation. No one is saying the SECDEF can’t be out due to illness or even take a vacation, but there is a reason our command authority must be maintained, because the Department of Defense never takes a knee. By intentionally breaking the national command authority and failing to inform the commander-in-chief, President Biden had no idea his SECDEF was even laid up. Worse, the deputy secretary of defense has since admitted she was not even made aware of her boss’s hospitalization until days later- thus there can be no claim of lawful delegation (putting aside the fact that not all authorities can lawfully be so delegated).
The impact: What order does one take from whom, which is valid, and most importantly, how can there be any confidence it derives from a sound national command authority. Without such, there is no chain of command, and our military remains rudderless.
Our DoD divides the world into geographic regions we call combatant commands (ie, central command, indo-pacific command, etc). Each is led by a 4-star general officer (the highest rank in our current military). These combatant commanders and the soldiers underneath their authority are responsible for executing the national command authority in their region. Just imagine if one of them or Biden picked up the phone to call the SECDEF regarding a hostage situation in Africa, a terrorist attack in Afghanistan, or a break-out of war in the Middle East- only to find no one on the receiving end. Where do they get their orders, who calls the president, and how are troops deployed?
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SOURCE: www.thegatewaypundit.com
RELATED: Austin goes AWOL
Published January 8, 2024
It is inexcusable that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin concealed his multiday medical incapacity from President Joe Biden and top Pentagon officials, including his own Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks. By his actions, Austin has shown a catastrophic inability to recognize the responsibilities of his office or the basic principles of strategic leadership.
It would be bad enough if the transportation secretary did what Austin did. But when a defense secretary acts in such a manner, the stakes are much higher. And he chose to have elective surgery when hot spots in different parts of the world are in flames. Austin endangered national security out of a vain and misguided sense of personal privacy. This sends a message to U.S. adversaries that Washington is dysfunctional at the highest levels. Austin should be relieved of his position.
The incident underlines the broader chaos within the Biden administration and the wholly earned lack of respect in which subordinates hold their commander in chief. Obsessed with the 2024 election, the White House appears to believe its top priority is to press the media into more positive coverage of the president and more negative coverage of his challengers in the GOP. But as the president and his team focus narrowly on domestic partisan politics, the world grows more insecure.
Team Biden’s chaotic priorities are further underlined by the fact that Hicks was vacationing in Puerto Rico during her boss’s incapacity. In essence, the acting U.S. defense secretary was living the beach life unaware that she was actually in charge of the U.S. military. It’s unclear whether Austin transferred all his authorities to Hicks or just some of them.
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SOURCE: www.washingtonexaminer.com
RELATED: White House: Joe Biden ‘Continues to Have Complete Confidence’ in Lloyd Austin
Published January 8, 2024
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday said President Joe Biden “continues to have complete confidence” in Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin even after he was admitted on January 1 to the intensive care unit — where he remains — but did not alert Biden of his condition until Thursday, January 4.
A reporter asked Jean-Pierre, “Should the American people have confidence in Austin, given his lack of transparency?”
Jean-Pierre then claimed that Austin had “taken responsibility” by issuing a statement on Saturday.
In that statement, Austin said:
I want to thank the amazing doctors and nursing staff at Walter Reed for the exceptional care they have delivered to me and for the personal warmth they have shown my family. I also appreciate all the outreach and well wishes from colleagues and friends. Charlene and I are very grateful for your support.
I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon.
I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better.
But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.
Jean-Pierre continued:
So, I want to go back to Austin’s statement a couple of days ago, where he has taken responsibility, and so I think that’s important, so I would point you to that. And I will just reiterate that the president has complete confidence, continues to have confidence in Secretary Austin.
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SOURCE: www.breitbart.com
