Trump Administration Dismisses More Top Pentagon Officials After Esper Fired

(Photo : REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks during a joint news conference with Britain's Secretary of State of Defence Ben Wallace after their meeting at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., March 5, 2020.

The Trump administration made some sweeping changes at the Pentagon by changing its civilian leadership, removing most senior officials. 

Changing Pentagon's leaders kicked off with Trump announcing that Defense Secretary Mark Esper was "terminated" from his position on Tuesday.

According to CNN, the "flurry of changes" started roughly 24 hours after Esper's dismissal was announced.

The government's move made some Pentagon officials on edge. Politico noted that many were worried Trump was installing perceived loyalists in an already tense transition to the next White House term.

Military and civilian officials had a growing sense of alarm and were concerned about who may be next on the list. 

Read also: Trump Fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Replaces Him With Acting Pentagon Chief

Since Monday, CNN noted that four senior civilian officials have already been pulled out from the Pentagon, including Esper.

As it seemed, the firing was finished by late Tuesday, a senior official said. "It appears we are done with the beheadings for now," they said. 

Pentagon Replacements Spark Controversy

Besides Esper, the defense secretary's chief of staff and two top officials that oversee policy and intelligence have reportedly been fired or have resigned on Tuesday.

They will be replaced by figures believed to show loyalty to the White House or have even been involved in controversy.

A top Democrat reportedly accused the administration of "gutting" the Pentagon, which could lead to "devastating" effects on national security.

House Armed Services Chair Adam Smith noted how dangerous a high-level turnover could be at the Department of Defense, especially during a presidential transition period. 

Read also: Can Trump Win Through Legal Challenge of Election Verdict?

"If this is the beginning of a trend... then the next 70 days will be precarious at best and downright dangerous at worst," Smith said. 

One More Pentagon Firing, Two Resignations

According to Foreign Policy, the first to be kicked off-post was the Defense department's top policy official James Anderson.

Anderson was confirmed as deputy undersecretary for policy and was later on elevated as an acting official for the job. However, he was forced out of his post after what was believed to be a tumultuous relationship with the White House.

Anderson served with the Bush administration before, and he pushed back on some of the new Trump appointees who were seen as loyal to the White House.

Taking his position through an interim role as the policy shop's number two is Anthony Tata, a Trump loyalist and conspiracy theorist. He was nominated to be undersecretary of defense for policy in the summer but was withdrawn because of bipartisan opposition.

In the past, Tata said some Islamophobic and offensive comments, a CNN KFile reported in June. He also claimed former President Barack Obama was a "terrorist leader" in several tweets in 2018.

Officials fear that with Tata's elevation to the policy position, he can demand more resignations across the defense department.

After Anderson came the resignation of Jen Stewart, chief of staff to newly installed Defense Secretary Chris Miller.

Stewart was replaced by Kash Patel, who played a key role in helping Republicans discredit the Russia probe. Patel also had a number of roles in the Trump administration.

Lastly, Joseph Kernan, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, also handed in his resignation. Kernan served at the Pentagon since 2017.

According to Miller, the retired Navy vice admiral already had his resignation "planned for months." Taking his position temporarily is Ezra Cohen-Watnick, a close ally of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.