Loyal Dissent: General Fogleman and the Decision to Retire Early
Abstract
On 28 July 1997, Gen Ronald R. Fogleman submitted a request for early retirement, ending his term as the Air Forces 15th Chief of Staff one year ahead of schedule. This paper explores the three primary causes of his decision--his disagreements with his fellow service chiefs and the Secretary of Defense over policy decisions made in the "tank," the discharge of 1st Lt Kelly Flinn, and the punishment of Brig Gen "Terry" Schwalier in the aftermath of the Khobar Towers bombing. The study further asks what effect Foglemans departure had on American civil-military relations. To answer the research question, the author applies Professor Don Snider's dissent evaluation framework to the Fogleman case. After assessing General Fogleman's decision along each of Snider's five factors, the author finds that his retirement had minimal effect on the senior officer's three critical trust relationships with the public, the civilian leadership of the armed forces, and the services' junior and noncommissioned officers. As such, Fogleman's retirement was a justified act of dissent as viewed through Snider's model. Furthermore, the author finds that Fogleman took additional steps to mitigate the effects that his decision might have on civil-military relations. For these reasons, the author concludes that Fogleman's early retirement decision demonstrates that loyal dissent is possible.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1107518
Entities
People
- Jonathan M. Slinkard
Organizations
- Air University