You've probably never heard of Dave Berger.

President Trump nominated him on March 27 to be the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps.  I met him when we were both assigned to Camp Pendleton, and I remember his deep interest in mastering the Corps's tactics, logistics, and weapons systems.  From the beginning of his career, he showed a quiet devotion to the Corps's excellence.

His career is filled with aggressive, on-the-ground combat, including leading a regiment at Fallujah and a division in Afghanistan.  He is one of America's best and most experienced combat commanders.

The Berger nomination is in contrast to past leadership at the FBI and the CIA.  Infamous FBI managers such as James Comey, Andrew McCabe, and Peter Strzok were never devoted to crime-fighting, the fundamental purpose of the FBI.  They promoted themselves through building relationships in Washington, D.C.  They have never exposed themselves to physical danger. 

Former CIA chief John Brennan is the loudest of all Deep-Staters.  He spent a 40-year career entirely within the CIA headquarters building, during which he did no intelligence operations and no intelligence collection.

Berger is a graduate of Tulane University.  A few years ago, I wrote Tulane to let the people there know about their distinguished graduate, but with no reply.  He's still not on any list of distinguished alumni as of the writing of this post.  He has focused his career on the Corps's missions.  He never developed a cult of personality like retired general James Mattis.  Berger isn't quotable and doesn't make tough-guy statements.

I've encouraged family members who have become Marines to drop in on him and say hello.  He's a remarkably kind and humble person for such an expert in the application of violence.

Berger won President Trump's nomination thanks to his record of achievement and service.    

If FBI agents see from the example of their leaders that the path to the top involves excellence in crime-fighting, and if CIA officers see that the path to the top involves intelligence-gathering, then these organizations will become more focused on their missions and less likely to betray us.

Ishmael Jones is a former CIA officer and author of The Human Factor: Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture.