Congress also mandated that nominees for defense secretary must “come from civilian life” and prohibited any former military officer from serving in this role for 10 years after leaving military service. This was seen as the minimum time for any military officer—let alone a retired general such as Austin, who served 41 years in uniform before retiring in 2016—to establish a civilian identity after a military career. In light of these developments—the Jan. 6 insurrection, weakening civilian control over the Pentagon, and shifting views on the military’s role in partisan politics—this is precisely the wrong time to remove the legislative ban to benefit another retired general, no matter how exceptional Austin may be.