Published: February 9, 2009

To the Editor:   Re “Really Soft Power,” by Gary Schaub (Op-Ed, Jan. 27):

Having more powerful civilians in the Department of Defense does nothing to redress the balance between the military and diplomatic elements of United States foreign policy. Certainly, the Pentagon had enough powerful civilians, from Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld down through the deputy assistant secretary ranks, in the period before the Iraq invasion, and I don’t recall any of them urging diplomacy or prudence. Those I worked with displayed no shortage of martial fervor.

Mr. Schaub is right, in my experience, that the regional commanders and visiting senior military officers and Defense Department civilians carry a sway with foreign governments that simply eclipses any embassy at which I’ve served.

When the regional commander comes to town on his own plane with huge staffs and millions in assistance programs that can be delivered in a flash at the commander’s word, rather than through the vast civilian bureaucracy, foreign governments figure out very quickly who’s driving the train.

Norman H. Olsen
Cherryfield, Me., Jan. 27, 2009

The writer, a retired senior Foreign Service officer, was counselor for political affairs at the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv, 2002-6, and associate coordinator for counterterrorism, 2007-8.