Lt. Col. Vindman Doesn’t Have a Bright Future in the Military

Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified that he bypassed the chain of command and took his concerns about the phone call between Presidents Trump and Zelensky to White House attorneys.

Vindman’s two immediate superiors also listened in on the call. Vindman did not share his concerns about the call with them.

In the Army, bypassing the chain of command is a big deal.

Both of Vindman’s superiors testified that Vindman has questionable judgment and that they have suspected that he is the source of leaks.

Bad judgment is a serious problem. So is leaking.

Vindman testified that after he bypassed the chain of command, the White House attorney told him not to talk with anyone about his concerns. Then, Vindman testified that he told his brother and the so-called “whistleblower” about the call even though he was ordered not to tell anyone about it.

That’s leaking.

Leaking doesn’t just mean going to the press. It means telling anyone anything if he/she doesn’t have a “need to know”. People in Vindman’s position know that.

Vindman broke the law. So did the “whistleblower”.

This is almost comical: Vindman testified that he has never leaked information despite testifying that he leaked information. Top brass in the military picked up on that in an instant. It’s not a trivial matter to them. It’s a serious offense. (See the video and the SnyderTalk Comment below.)

Vindman’s brother worked for the National Security Council (NSC) as an attorney. He worked in the department that was responsible for vetting former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s book. Excerpts from that book were leaked to the New York Times.

Immediately, Bolton and his publisher denied leaking excerpts from the book. They didn’t want to go to jail. The only other people with access to the manuscript were in the NSC department where Vindman’s brother worked.

The so-called “whistleblower” is the person who got the impeachment ball rolling in the House. He never testified because he was linked personally to Adam Schiff and other prominent Democrats before he could be called as a witness. When details about his personal connections with Democrats started leaking out, the “whistleblower” faded into the woodwork.

Lt. Col. Vindman is in serious trouble.

How is a Lieutenant Colonel Looked Upon by Higher-Ups in the Military?

I worked with four-star Marine General John Sheehan when he headed up a group called USA COM. He was Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic and Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command. There have been 72 four-star generals in the history of the United States Marine Corps.

USA COM was a joint operation with the United States Army, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the U.S. Atlantic Command. At the time, Gen. Sheehan was being groomed for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Majors did advance work for our meetings. The work they did was the same work that my research assistants at the University of Virginia did for me.

During our meetings, colonels made sure that coffee and other things were ready and available at the appropriate times.

Our meetings included all military people plus me. No one at the table in the military held a rank that was lower than major general or rear admiral. I was a chaired professor.

Lt. Col. Vindman is Finished

Top brass in the military are probably chomping at the bit thinking about Vindman’s return to the Pentagon. They heard and read his testimony, and they watched his nonverbals while he testified.

Vindman did not look or sound like the kind of military officer who can be relied upon. He certainly didn’t look and sound like a full-bird colonel or a general.

Nonverbals are key, and Vindman’s nonverbals suggested that he was in way over his head. The smirk on his face is a good example. He seemed to be thrilled about the attention he was getting. When I saw that smirk, I wondered what Gen. Sheehan would have said about Vindman.

Vindman’s future in the military is not bright. He was escorted out of the White House. I think top brass in the military will show him the door, too. It won’t be because they are seeking revenge. They will be doing their duty.

I won’t be surprised if Vindman is court-martialed and sent to Leavenworth.

Vindman is an example of the Peter Principle at work. The Peter Principle says that people rise to their level of incompetence. Vindman reached that level. His incompetence was on display in the Halls of Congress. I’m positive that higher-ups in the military saw it.

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SnyderTalk Comment:

There is a joke in the military about performance reviews. It goes like this: “Everybody is Douglas MacArthur.”

Most people are familiar with grade inflation at universities. The same kind of thing takes place in the military. It’s a problem, and everybody knows it.

I don’t want to delve into that topic in detail here. I just want to point out that reading his performance review to the committee was an indication that Vindman felt the need to justify himself. Some members of Congress and people watching Vindman testify on television may have been fooled by that stunt, but higher-ups in the military were not.

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“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 22-24)