<p>I think asking Secretary Harvey to resign was a rash over-reaction and another example of this administration’s tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. That, after all, is what got us in this situation in the first place – not thinking about the consequences and stresses a long war would put on the ancillary requirements to support a sustained conflict.</p>
<p>Let’s look back 27 months ago to when Dr. Harvey was sworn in. The Army had been without a Secretary for over a year. We were in the middle of a war that the Army was primarily responsible for executing and was under-funded to the point where it represented an historic low as a percentage of the defense budget. The Army’s major modernization program was in jeopardy of being canceled by Congress. Recruiting was falling off the table having missed quarter after quarter of recruiting and retention objectives. And the first week Dr. Harvey was on the job the up-armor issue hits the media.</p>
<p>Since that time funding and procurement changes have been made to quickly up-armor necessary vehicles. The operational budget and sustainment funding are in place. The Future Combat System is being managed and making progress in a fashion that Congress is fully funding the Army modernization and even it critics like John McCain are supporting it now. Recruiting and retention goals are being met. Enhanced safety and lean and six sigma programs have improved the operations of the Army in many ways big and small.</p>
<p>Harvey’s leadership style is to get to the root cause of the problems and make the changes necessary to permanently change things for the better – not just to get past the next news cycle. Kiley was clearly part of the problem, because he never reported up the chain what was going on, and temporarily putting him back in place was a judgment call that at first blush didn’t make sense to the media and pundits who go an inch-deep on everything; which spun up everything else. But if you want to get at the root of the problem you want to be able to get the full cooperation and what knowledge those around while it was going on have before you put in new people to run the improved system.</p>
<p>Would Harvey’s approach been as successful at Walter Reed as it was with Future Combat System and recruiting? We’ll never know. Gates and the Bush will get through this news cycle by shooting the Secretary of the Army and creating a Commission. My guess is that the Commission will come back with a nicely bound report that will get put on the shelf and the President will declare “Mission Accomplished”. </p>
<p>Harvey’s record and service to the Army deserves better than the rash reactions of Gates and Bush.</p>