When we think of WWIII, the one where surely the nukes will be flying, we imagine the military leaders hovering over a large red button to end civilization as we know it. Turns out, it won't be the guys that defend our country at all—since they have no say over the nukes. Actually, the US nuclear arsenal is property of the civilian Department of Energy branch!
In no big surprise, the Department of Defense isn't too happy with civilian control over the most powerful weapons on the face of the Earth. Many uniformed and non-uniformed people have shared their opinions on the control of many military aspects in the hands of civilian control. They often object to the “politicization” of things that slow the process down in decision-making rather than have an objective and set out to achieve it.
Those politicians that want to get their hands in defensive matters but have no military training of their own are often called “chickenhawks.” They are accused of putting political goals before military ones in times of war. However, to me, it sounds like there should be some good political discussion before letting the nukes fly!
