Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP, NJ - NOVEMBER 19: (L to R) President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he stands with retired United States Marine Corps general James Mattis after their meeting at Trump International Golf Club, November 19, 2016 in Bedminster Township, New Jersey. Trump and his transition team are in the process of filling cabinet and other high level positions for the new administration. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Defense Intelligence Agency Director Michael Flynn speaks during the inaugural Intelligence Community Summit organized by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) on September 12, 2013 in Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
INF85742 The Return of the Crusader, 1835 (oil on canvas) by Lessing, Carl Friedrich (1808-80); Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn, Germany; Interfoto; German, out of copyright
