4 ms·

Does a defence minister need to have used a gun?

• ryanmercer 8y ago
  One would hope they had military experience which, yes, would have required the use of firearm at a minimum to qualify.
  • dev_north_east 8y ago
    > One would hope they had military experience Really? Why so? I've seen ministers put in place with expertise in the actual area (doctor becoming minister of health for example) and it makes no difference. They're just managers after all, the "real work" is done by the civil servants.
    • ryanmercer 8y ago
      >Really? Why so? For a minister of defense/secretary of defense type role you would hope they had been a career military person, specifically an officer. Officers, at least in the United States, are taught many things from tactics to military history, they understand command structure, they understand procedure and policy, as a career officer they would have years of experience in various commands serving in various capacities. If you take John Smith from ABC Corp that got a degree from Harvard and is your golfing buddy and give him control over it, sure he's great at handling the civilians and the fobbits but he has no understanding of how a military operates. When generals/admirals tell him things he has no good context.