I have no particular insight into what is going on with the Secretary of Defense and his doctors, but as a former military officer and corporate executive I make the following observations:
- a subordinate officer with command authority in any branch of the armed forces who failed to inform his commander that he would be offline, in the hospital, and unable to respond to calls or requests for information would be fired. Likewise someone in a corporate position of similar responsibility.
- a second in command who failed to adequately apprise herself of the circumstances involving her boss's absence, and who failed to immediately make herself available by being physically present in her boss's stead, and who failed to notify the people to whom she was ostensibly reporting that she was ready for duty, would be fired.
- Anyone in the organization with knowledge of the boss's absence and the fact that this had not been communicated to the command structure, along with no communication of the process for decision-making in the boss's absence, who failed to remedy the situation, would be fired.
- a senior commander who tolerates the above behavior in her subordinates without removing them or taking other comparable disciplinary action is not a competent leader or manager and should be removed.
Update: Given that it now appears that deception and disguise concerning his condition was the game from the very outset, the SECDEF should be removed forthwith.
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