Who do you want to see as the next Defense Secretary and why?

He was the Corps Commander in Iraq when I was there. Senior officers said he would go far in his career. I think he intellectually superior and is a deep thinker. We need someone like him in the SECDEF post.

Its a politically appointed position that necessarily doesn't look at military experience as an overall factor in my opinion. That being said, I would like somebody that can relate to the rank and file and who has their respect. Somebody who has integrity and will tell the chief when they are right and when they are wrong. Somebody who can stand-up for themselves when in front of politicians especially the way Gen Mattis stood up against senators during senate hearings. Lastly, somebody that sees both sides of the spectrum and not let their own bias opinions overshadow what is best for all rather than one side.

There's a reason why generals have to have been out of active service for 7 years before they can be appointed SECDEF (only two have been waived that requirement so far).

Congress mandated with the National Security Act of 1947 that the SECDEF will be appointed "from civilian life" by the President. The reason is so the military can't have too much power. With generals, they've been in the military the majority of their adult lives. Some of them don't really understand civilian life after all that time in the military. The SECDEF has to deal with domestic businesses, recruit from the civilian sector and if someone is used to just commanding in the military, they may not be able to handle the civilian side of it.

When Congress waived George C Marshall in 1950, they did it as an exception to the rule and didn't want it to become commonplace:
""It is hereby expressed as the intent of the Congress that the authority granted by this Act is not to be construed as approval by the Congress of continuing appointments of military men to the office of Secretary of Defense in the future," a report accompanying the 1950 statute stated. "It is hereby expressed as the sense of the Congress that after General Marshall leaves the office of secretary of defense, no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved.""

Civilian control of the military has always been fundamental to the US. It predates the Constitution and likely began in Mar 1783 when Washington headed off a planned military takeover of the government (Newburgh conspiracy). There were disgruntled members of the Continental Army upset they weren't getting paid and this faction was going to march on Philadelphia and seize the government. Then when the Constitution was crafted, the founders wrote civilian control in the the Constitution with the President as commander in chief and Congress had the power to declare war and provide military funding.

When the DoD replaced the War Department in 1947 and then passed the NSA of 1947 specifically stated even more the SECDEF should be a civilian.

I can understand why people want someone who has military experience to be SECDEF but I can see why someone who has been a general probably shouldn't be it. Especially when they haven't been out more than 7 years yet.