Chain of Command

In the military, someone is always responsible. It’s called chain of command. Chain of command fixes responsibility for carrying out orders and it runs all the way to the commander-in-chief. Commanders may debate the clarity or precision of those orders and may execute them poorly. Those are points for debate. But responsibility in a chain of command is almost always clear, fixed by the organization and the individual’s place in that order.

Despite the fixed nature of responsibility in the military, it rarely extends too far up the chain for the more egregious acts committed by American forces. During Vietnam only three officers faced charges for killing 500 civilians at My Lai Massacre; only the lieutenant was convicted. Abu Ghraib has only netted a few low ranking soldiers who have been convicted of abuse. The general commanding the prison lost a star and and a couple of soldiers are on trial for threatening detainees with dogs. That’s about it.

That’s why I was pleased to read that the general responsible for introducing much of the “harsh interrogation methods” at Abu-Ghraib took The Fifth yesterday.

“Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, a central figure in the U.S. detainee-abuse scandal, this week invoked his right not to incriminate himself in court-martial proceedings against two soldiers accused of using dogs to intimidate captives at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, according to lawyers involved in the case...[snip]

Miller's decision came shortly after Col. Thomas M. Pappas, the commanding officer at Abu Ghraib, accepted immunity from prosecution this week and was ordered to testify at upcoming courts-martial. Pappas, a military intelligence officer, could be asked to detail high-level policies relating to the treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib....[snip]

Eugene R. Fidell, a Washington expert in military law, said that Miller's decision is ‘consistent with his being concerned that he may have some exposure to worry about.’ Fidell added: ‘It's very unusual for senior officers to invoke their Article 31 rights. The culture in the military tends to encourage cooperation rather than the opposite’...."

Abu-Ghraib is more than a few out of control enlisted men. Officers were responsible for that facility. They are fully accountable for what took place on their watch. I applaud General Miller for recognizing that his actions may have created a liability on his part. That is a first step toward acknowledging responsibility.