Jim Miller is the former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. In that vital role – the number three position in DOD – Jim was at the forefront of some of the nation’s most important and most difficult national security issues. As a key adviser to three Secretaries of Defense – Bob Gates, Leon Panetta, and Chuck Hagel – Jim guided reviews of nuclear weapons policy and ballistic missile defense policy, and led the formulation of national defense strategies for space and cyberspace.
Jim’s path to the Pentagon began in the middle. As the only boy in a household of five children, Jim was raised in a middle-class family in the middle of the country – in Waterloo, Iowa. A brilliant student and a superb athlete, Jim made his way to Stanford where a mentor inspired him and guided him into public service.
Recently, and after my interview with Jim was recorded, he resigned his position on the prestigious Defense Science Board. In an open letter to the current Secretary of Defense, Jim noted that peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights outside of the White House were dispersed “using tear gas and rubber bullets — not for the sake of safety, but to clear a path for a presidential photo op.” Jim also wrote that though the Defense Secretary “may not have been able to stop … this appalling use of force, you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you visibly supported it.” You can read Jim’s letter here: Open Letter to the Secretary of Defense, June 2, 2020
Jim is a deeply principled and talented man and he shares with host Chuck Rosenberg reflections on his extraordinary public service career and his work at the highest levels of the Pentagon.
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Chuck Rosenberg Podcast With Jim Miller | The Oath – Ep 26 | MSNBC
What a really great podcast! I loved hearing about the workings of the former administration – and what drives most career public servants in D.C. It’s what we all hoped it would be.
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Thank you for this, Mr. Rosenberg. In the wake of my personal hero, Col. Alexander Vindman, understanding that the oath is not a promise, is an important message the general public does not understand. Integration never meant the end of racism. Thank you Undersecretary Miller, your story is important. Keep telling that story as it morphed through out your professional path. I tried to tell a story at the Pentagon to explain life in a society built with a racial hierarchy. Imagine two babies born with a boat. Retired (SS/SW/MTS) sorry. One white having a 25not current from the stern, one Black having a 25not current from the bow. If both babies do nothing the white baby excels while the black baby looses ground over land. And those currents increase with time, not merit. Subscribed.
Thank you for this incredibly insightful interview. Jim Miller, you are an inspiration! Your resignation is a big loss and also sadly a shame for our country. Though I applaud your rightful decision in doing so and it’s a form of protesting the ugliness and lawlessness of the scroundrels in current administration.
Why can’t we have someone like Jim Miller to lead ? Intelligent, knowledgeable, highly talented, compassion, empathy, sane, integrity, righteous… but instead we have trump* – con artist- enough said!
America, we are doomed !