Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, during a national security roundtable meeting at Trump Tower in New York, Aug. 17, 2016. Trump, received his first classified briefing on Wednesday since becoming the Republican nominee, according to a person briefed on the meeting. (Damon Winter/The New York Times)
Michael Crowley, Politico: Is Trump ready for a national security crisis?
Personnel gaps across security and defense bodies has stoked concerns that the new administration could get caught flat-footed.
The abrupt withdrawal of a top Trump National Security Council appointee and the dozens of high-level personnel holes across key foreign policy and defense agencies have national security experts posing a dark question: Will Donald Trump be ready to manage a national security crisis from Day One?
Sources close to the transition describe Trump’s national security staffing as a “black box,” leaving everyone from Obama administration officials to Trump job seekers and foreign diplomats guessing at who will land crucial positions shaping policy and managing crises.
Much of the speculation focuses on the NSC, which plays the vital role of coordinating foreign policy and national security within the White House. NSC aides refine and advise the president on competing policy options generated throughout the federal government.
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WNU Editor: In the even that a national security crisis does occur .... I expect President Trump to do the same thing that previous Presidents have done .... be a very quick learner on what he can (and cannot) do.
