Re: Michael Flynn
Flynn is basically from my generation of officers, commissioned in the late 70s and early 80s. This was a period of transition, with major changes in doctrine and a very significant step up in professional standards. Unfortunately, there was also a trend toward open politicization, especially once Reagan had been elected. Some incoming officers, especially those without personal experience of the Vietnam war, felt that the long standing commitment to political neutrality had been discredited. Old hands (like me) tended to believe just the opposite, that political acquiescence had helped precipitate the disaster. Flynn is a member of this old Reagan clique, which has always assumed that conservative political objectives and national security were one and the same.
As we have seen with General Milley, this mob’s influence has declined significantly, but it hasn’t altogether disappeared. Evangelicals, for example, are known to have made a conscious effort to infiltrate the armed forces. This is a natural follow on to the Reagan clique. Fortunately, this has been pursued with their normal level of competence, meaning that it has not been as successful as they and their fellow fascists would like.