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Military Appointments and Confirmations

Admirals and Generals:

High level military officers such as Generals and Admirals are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the military establishment and the Congress.  A variety of military boards such as the Joint Chiefs of Staff are also appointed by the President.

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When a General or Admiral is appointed to an "command" position - such as being in charge of Naval Operations, or a member of Joint Chiefs of Staff - or head of an Air Force Area, or similar top leadership positions - they are usually - not always - announced by the White House and generally tracked like a civilian nomination.

General Information

(Go HERE for a listing of General and Admiral nominations presently pending before the United States Senate. If you have trouble using this list because of the way it is written - contact us a 617 504 3699 or at Director@Presidential-Appointments.org.) This is the public record listing by the Senate, and it sometimes obtuse.

Tracking confirmation of Military appointments is different than for civilian appointments. First, the announcement of nominations for rank - whether a solider should be made a General or an Admiral, or promoted to a higher rank in that group - the President makes the nomination, although it is not reported through the White House in the usual way - the difficulty of tracking those can be tricky and incomplete. It is just a procedural issue - but reporting on them at the time of nominations is difficult.

When a General or Admiral is appointed to an "command" position - such as being in charge of Naval Operations, or a member of Joint Chiefs of Staff - or head of an Air Force Area, or similar top leadership positions - they are usually - not always - announced by the White House and generally tracked like a civilian nomination.

Generals in Iraq are political appointees in a Constitutional government where civilians are in control, and control a General's appointment.  History tells us this is a good plan.  Some President's are good strategists with a plan which somehow serves the National interest - some Presidents have a plan that serves other interests - and some have no viable plan.  In each of these cases, the military shapes its agenda and position to serve the civilian interest - it is in the nature of US military.  We had a major dose of this process in relation to Iraq when the General reported to Congress, the President, and the public.  The image was a bit cold and fractious - and a clear example of how the process works, whatever one's judgment is about that process.

Confirmation Management for Military Officers

Military officer nominations  are subject to confirmation by the Senate, largely in batch mode - and on a very regular basis - from the lowest commissioned officer in each branch of the Military through the highest -  being offered on nomination by the President of the United States.

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These confirmation are made by the United States Senate, but often announced in groups, not by individual names. Contact us at 617 504 3699 - or by e-amil at Director@Presidential-Appointments.org.

Copyright 2001-2011 John Isaacson --Contact Information: John Isaacson, Director@Presidential-Appointments.org - Call: 617 504 3699