Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey said Sunday that he believes President Obama heeds his advice on military and national security matters, but he wouldn’t deny that the White House micromanages the Pentagon.
Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Gen. Dempsey first answered questions about micromanagement with a tongue-in-cheek response.
“If you’re asking me if I’m being micromanaged, I don’t know. I better go check with the White House before I answer that question,” he said, adding that he believes the Pentagon’s relationship with the White House should be measured on whether he has access to the president and whether top administration officials listen to what he has to say.
“The metric we should be focused on is access and whether my advice influences decisions,” Gen. Dempsey said. “Whether someone wants to characterize the desire, the almost insatiable appetite for information about complex issues as micromanaging, they can have at it. But for me, the metric is access and advice.”
Former Defense Department officials, including outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, reportedly have taken serious issue with the White House’s frequent micromanagement of matters inside the Pentagon.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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