Gen. Keith Kellogg: Our military and the alarming disappearance of accountability
Fox News
The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ‘just-for-show’ hearings in Congress that followed indicate the weakness and inability of our uniformed and elected leaders to accept the most fundamental aspect of their job…accountability.
We have allowed a culture of accepting mediocrity and mendacity to fill the void where a culture of winning used to exist. Within our military, many seem to have fallen prey to the idea that holding someone accountable is the same thing as attacking them personally.
Dangerously, accountability in decision making at the highest levels of the military appears to have all but disappeared. Over the past decade, stars on shoulders became Afghan participation trophies and we all but celebrated mediocrity in our leaders.
As Kabul fell so did our trust and faith in our military senior leaders. The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ‘just-for-show’ hearings in Congress that followed indicate the weakness and inability of our uniformed and elected leaders to accept the most fundamental aspect of their job…accountability.