“Any SECDEF who is absent in his duties and fails to notify the chain of command has committed one of the most egregious acts against the national defense of this nation.”
Hey, retarded author...
Secdef is not in the emergency, operational chain of command.
You are obviously unfamiliar with the NCA
Even wiki will add to your understanding
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Command_Authority_(United_States)