Donald Trump's lack of foreign policy experience will prove challenging to the Pentagon, a member of Bill Clinton's administration told Military Times on Thursday, but retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey says he is confident military leaders will try to work constructively with the unpredictable president-elect.
"He's remarkably uneducated about almost every aspect of defense and foreign policy," said McCaffrey, 73, a highly decorated Vietnam combat veteran who rose through the Army's ranks during a 32 year career that included high-profile roles in the Pentagon and with NATO. He's also is as a national security and terrorism analyst for NBC News.
Trump will, however, come into office with automatic support from senior military leadership, McCaffrey said during a visit to Military Times' offices outside Washington, D.C.
"There won't be a shred of doubt that they've got to figure out how to support him," said McCaffrey, who was Clinton's drug czar from 1996 until 2001. "Generally speaking, admirals and generals don't resign. They won't resign either. They'll try to work as best they can with Trump as he takes charge."
When it comes to rank-and-file troops, McCaffrey said Trump's election will help buoy them, as many come from rural America, areas that heavily carried Trump during the election.
"There were a lot of things Trump said that were right, in isolation," he said, but he's also "impulsive and his instincts are very bad," the general said, citing Trump's stance on nuclear weapons as an example.
When Trump said he's going to encourage the United States' allies to stand on their own, meaning they need nuclear weapons, "that is completely a danger to the future United States and allies and global security."
Retired Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey.
Photo Credit: Alan Lessig/Staff
"It's a bad idea, which he apparently doesn't understand why," McCaffrey said. "So now we'll see what happens. ... All of us are stuck in this lifeboat together. We have to hope that he surrounds himself with good people."
Trump can "get away with balderdash" and rhetoric on some issues, but he needs to listen to reason, McCaffrey said.
The retired general wrote an op-ed piece about Trump for The Seattle Timesin August, where he referred to Trump as an "abusive braggart" who
that
wasn’t fit to lead the armed forces.
"I don't withdraw one word of it," McCaffrey told Military Times. "But now I wish him well. I hope he can pull this off."
Charlsy Panzino covers the Guard and Reserve, training, technology, operations and features for Army Times and Air Force Times. Email her at cpanzino@militarytimes.com.
Charlsy is a Reporter and Engagement Manager for Military Times. Email her at cpanzino@militarytimes.com.
