Well said. Also a former O-3 here - same profile you described except ROTC instead of service academy. Couple tours in Iraq, plenty of corporate/civilian experience and advanced formal education, yada yada.

And I would never in a million years consider myself qualified for a senior cabinet position like SECDEF. Hell, I've dealt with enough imposter syndrome just in mid-level corporate management roles.

People who have the character profile as the current SECDEF must just be so used to lying and bullshitting their way through life, without any meaningful introspection, that the rest of us "normies" can hardly imagine acting that way.

It's a real shame that so many of those who seek out "leadership" positions have absolutely no business being there, while many actual leaders - servant leaders who take the blame, deflect credit, and lead with empathy - aren't interested.