National Security: Portrait of a Cash-Trapped Military
By Mark Thompson | @markthompson_dc | November 9, 2010 | + Tweet
Money has gotten so tight at the Pentagon that the nation's top military officer has decided he doesn't need a formal oil portrait costing tens of thousands of dollars to celebrate his ascension. Instead, Admiral Mike Mullen is going to essentially photocopy the portrait already done of him in his previous job as Chief of Naval Operations. So he'll let the fake with flaws hang in the Pentagon's E-ring alongside those of his 16 predecessors as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Official non-oil photo of Adm. Mike Mullen / DoD
Pentagon corridors are filled with hand-painted, gold-framed, florid-looking oils dating back to the Revolutionary War. Today, there's an entire procurement process for such artworks. Mullen had forwarded personnel preparing for their boss' retirement next year, sending out a request in July seeking an artist to paint the four-star admiral. They sought someone who had done similar work with Fortune 500 bigwigs and "with the ability to travel to the Pentagon for live sittings." But Mullen nixed that deal once he learned of it, his spokesman said Tuesday. "He decided it would be inappropriate in these lean economic times for him to have another portrait painted," Navy Captain John Kirby says, "especially since he recently had one completed at the end of his tour as CNO." Mullen's office formally canceled the requirement sequence Monday. "There is no longer a need for this requirement," it says. Requirements - which often involve weapons capabilities - are holy scripture inside the Pentagon. Scrapping them is rarely done. One wonders if it's contagious?
Related Topics Articles:
[Links provided in original text]