Story highlights Aaron Miller: Trump has nominated large number of ex-generals to Cabinet

The judgment, experience and character of the person nominated is key, Miller says

Aaron David Miller is a vice president and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and author of "The End of Greatness: Why America Can't Have (and Doesn't Want) Another Great President." Miller was a Middle East negotiator in Democratic and Republican administrations. Follow him @aarondmiller2. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

(CNN) Ever since George Washington, America's first military hero, retired twice to Mount Vernon -- willingly giving up first command and then power -- civilian control of the military has been a cherished US tradition. And by making an elected President commander in chief -- and giving Congress the power not just to declare war but to appropriate the resources for it -- the Constitution has reinforced that critically important precedent.

But is that precedent being threatened by President-elect Donald Trump? And does Trump's proclivity for considering and appointing retired generals for top national security jobs risk leading to military control over civilian government?

Aaron David Miller

Certainly, the number of retired generals set to be named to the Trump administration is unprecedented -- James Mattis at Defense, Michael Flynn as national security adviser, John Kelly at Homeland Security and the possibility of Adm. Mike Rogers as director of nationaI intelligence and David Petraeus at State. But while the issue is certainly worthy of serious debate, these appointments as a whole do not appear to pose a threat to the republic.

There are five reasons why:

First, the issue should not be so much the occupation of a prospective nominee, but the judgment, experience and character of the person nominated. By and large, previous appointments drawn from the ranks of the military have been sound, if not excellent choices. Consider George Marshall as Harry Truman's secretary of state and defense, Colin Powell as Ronald Reagan's national security adviser and George W. Bush's secretary of state, or Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser under George H.W. Bush. What you want in these positions are individuals who have leadership skills, the capacity to master their briefs and the required management skills to handle large and complicated systems. Appointments should be judged by these standards, not whether they are generals, doctors, lawyers -- or butchers, bakers and candlestick makers.

Read More