Overview

The nature of the threats facing America today has drastically reduced the margin for error in senior political appointments. In Only the Most Able, Stephen M. Duncan draws on a lifetime of military, public service, executive, and legal experience to critique the political appointment process, focusing on departments that deal with national security—the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. He looks at how the current methods for making appointments put people in positions for which they are not qualified and not prepared. Rather, he argues, appointments should be made on the basis of one's qualifications and merits—those who lead our military should be people with military experience, and those who must make executive decisions should be people who have served and excelled in an executive capacity. Identifying the successful traits of leaders such as Winston Churchill, General George Marshall, nationally-known business executives, and others, Duncan argues with unusual insight and candor why the quality and performance of senior political appointees who are charged even in part with the nation's security, must be improved, and offers specific recommendations on how this can be accomplished. This timely book will appeal to Americans of all political persuasions, as well as those with particular interests in political and military history.

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9781442220225

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Reviews

Stephen M. Duncan focuses much needed attention on the badly dysfunctional process that is used by Presidents to select the political leadership of our government. The problem is particularly egregious for our national security institutions, which otherwise do such an impressive job of developing leaders in the uniform services. Our country's future depends on getting this right. -- Max Stier, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Partnership for Public Service President Reagan said that To control and successfully implement policy, you need to control appointments. Stephen Duncan gives insight and illustrations of mistakes officials in various Administrations have made in not heeding this advice. A must read for all serving in higher levels of government and for all Americans who desire a government that works. -- Hon. E. Pendleton James, Former Special Assistant to the President and Director, White House Office of Presidential Personnel This is a timely book about a critically important subject. Stephen Duncan argues what increasing numbers of leaders believe, that the security environment which the United States currently faces has drastically reduced the margin for error in the appointment of senior officials in those agencies that are responsible for the security and safety of American citizens. He contends that the emphasis in both the nomination and confirmation processes must be on the particular qualities of the individual under consideration and he suggests ways to accomplish this goal. -- Dr. Macubin T. Owens, Professor, National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College

Stephen M. Duncan focuses much needed attention on the badly dysfunctional process that is used by Presidents to select the political leadership of our government. The problem is particularly egregious for our national security institutions, which otherwise do such an impressive job of developing leaders in the uniform services. Our country's future depends on getting this right. -- Max Stier, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Partnership for Public Service President Reagan said that To control and successfully implement policy, you need to control appointments. Stephen Duncan gives insight and illustrations of mistakes officials in various Administrations have made in not heeding this advice. A must read for all serving in higher levels of government and for all Americans who desire a government that works. -- Hon. E. Pendleton James, Former Special Assistant to the President and Director, White House Office of Presidential Personnel This is a timely book about a critically important subject. Stephen Duncan argues what increasing numbers of leaders believe, that the security environment which the United States currently faces has drastically reduced the margin for error in the appointment of senior officials in those agencies that are responsible for the security and safety of American citizens. He contends that the emphasis in both the nomination and confirmation processes must be on the particular qualities of the individual under consideration and he suggests ways to accomplish this goal. -- Dr. Macubin T. Owens, Professor, National Security Affairs, U.S. Naval War College The thesis of this book is that the current process of selecting national security leaders is inadequate. The military is capable of selecting and disciplining its leaders, but the presidents and senators who appoint political leaders to various national security agencies have not developed a successful system. Hence, key national security officials are haphazardly selected, often ineffective, and seldom disciplined when they fail. This book is distinctive because Duncan (formerly, assistant secretary of defense) has not only the courage but also the knowledge to cite examples of political appointees who should never have been appointed and whose mistakes jeopardized the safety of the American people. Too often, neither presidents nor senators understand what qualities an individual must have to be effective. Hence, they use misguided political criteria rather than substantial qualifications to make selections. The problem has become more acute in recent decades because of the decline in the number of presidents or senators who have security-related experience. The solution: those who do the selecting must understand that appointing a leader to a national security agency for political reasons is just as bad as selecting a military leader for political reasons. Summing Up: Recommended. CHOICE [Stephen Duncan's] arguments surely will touch a nerve, but he is well balanced - he skewers everyone: current and former Republican and Democratic administrations, cabinets, and Congresses. Military Officer

Stephen M. Duncan focuses much needed attention on the badly dysfunctional process that is used by Presidents to select the political leadership of our government. The problem is particularly egregious for our national security institutions, which otherwise do such an impressive job of developing leaders in the uniform services. Our country's future depends on getting this right. -- Max Stier, President and CEO of The Partnership for Public Service

Author Information

Stephen M. Duncan served as assistant secretary of defense in two presidential administrations and as the Pentagon's senior Drug War official. He is a decorated Vietnam veteran with more than forty years of active and reserve naval service and the recipient of two awards of the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. He has been a senior executive in two defense industry technology companies, a federal criminal prosecutor, a partner in major law firms, and the Director of the Institute for Homeland Security Studies at the National Defense University. Duncan is the author of Citizen Warriors and A War of a Different Kind.

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