Many commentators have compared the game of football to a military battle, with the head coach as commanding officer.  As the fabled Harvard-Yale game approaches, it appears the U.S. military’s highest ranking officer might think the same.

During a speech at the Institute of Politics last night, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike G. Mullen discussed the monumental task that faces the Harvard football team on Saturday.

“I’d like to begin our discussion on the nature of conflict, and the ruthless and incorrigible enemy we face today. But I promise not to talk about Yale that long tonight,” he said.

It got more serious from there, but Mullen, who is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, returned to Yale in his closing remarks.

“Unlike those gridiron battles against Yale, there are no handoffs in national security decision-making. The day you stop asking the hard questions is the day you start losing.”

Photo by Meredith H. Keffer/The Harvard Crimson.