What he has instead is a reactionary streak—one that’s evident in his view that women should no longer have combat roles in the military. In his recent book The War on Warriors, he implies that women service members who have received military honors for their bravery were decorated because of “an agenda.

Former Defense Secretary William Cohen underscored the importance of having women in the military, including in combat roles, as President-elect Trump’s pick for Defense secretary has come under fire for suggesting women should be removed from certain military positions.

He went on to add that he was “straight-up saying we should not have women in combat roles.” Speaking at a national security innovation event hosted by the Pallas Foundation on Thursday, Milley, who served as the nation’s highest-ranking military ...