In my view the Trump admin should permit the transition to commence in parallel with any remaining electoral challenges. Even in a normal year - and this is not a normal year - it is in the public interest that the handoff between administrations be orderly and cooperative. 1/

Thankfully, the risks entailed by a short transition are reduced by the fact that the US has a relatively long gap between election and inauguration relative to other democracies, and by the size and competence of our career civil, foreign, and military services. 2/

But those risks are magnified by the large share of senior natsec jobs requiring an arduous confirmation process, the number of issues on which a new admin must be briefed, the instability in leadership at natsec agencies, and- most of all- our econ and public health crises. 3/

Even if the transition begins now, the Biden team and the Senate will need to take whatever steps they can to minimize the new administration's post-inauguration startup time to compensate to reduce our national security vulnerabilities and any disruption in crisis response. 4/

Some steps include nominating experienced officials, putting them forward and considering them quickly, placing natsec veterans in non-confirmed positions (e.g. NSC, deputy asst secretaries), and asking certain existing appointees to stay beyond Jan. 20. /End