US President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday and announced Christopher C Mills, head of the National Counterterrorism Center, as acting head of the defense department.
Esper was Trump’s second defense secretary.
The first, James Mattis, had resigned over political differences with the president over the troops in Syria.
“I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (confirmed unanimously by the Senate), will serve as Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately,” the president said on Twitter.
“Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been fired. I would like to thank you for your service. “
Esper was only two months old, as was Trump, who lost the election to Joe Biden, the president-elect.
Esper’s firing further destabilizes a government already navigating Trump’s refusal to concede election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
Esper had clashed with Trump over his suggestion to use military personnel to quell civic unrest.
Trump, who so far is pursuing flimsy allegations of voter fraud in court, has only until January 20 before he has to step down and Biden takes over.
Esper’s departure could herald a broader post-election purge of appointees who did not please the president. It also means that Trump will have seen the departure of two confirmed defense secretaries in less than two years.
While Esper, 56, had worked with the president on controversial priorities such as sending U.S. troops to the Mexican border and withdrawing forces in Germany, Afghanistan and Syria, the president expressed growing dissatisfaction with his Pentagon chief in recent months. .
Trump said privately in August that he planned to replace Esper after the election, according to people familiar with the discussions, while the defense secretary told people close to him that he intended to leave regardless of the election result.
The president was frustrated that Esper, who became secretary in July 2019 after serving as secretary of the Army and as a former executive of Raytheon Technologies Corp., did not do more to defend him publicly on key issues, including Trump’s rejection of the reports that Russia paid. Taliban fighters “bounties” for the slaughter of American troops in Afghanistan.
Trump has increasingly looked for obvious signs of loyalty and willingness from his top aides to engage in partisan struggles, as Secretary of State Michael Pompeo demonstrated when he made a video in support of the president during an official trip to Jerusalem on behalf of the president at the Republican National Convention in August.
But while Trump’s cabinet secretaries send praise for key achievements to the president, Esper at times showed neutrality. Last month, Esper praised 10 NATO allies for meeting defense spending thresholds, not mentioning that Trump had lobbied for that result.
Trump was also angry that Esper in June publicly opposed the idea of deploying the military to active duty to contain national protests over racism. He confronted his defense secretary on June 3 at the White House after Esper held a press conference in which he said that using active duty military forces to enforce the law within the United States is “a matter of last. recourse “and that the National Guard was better. – Suitable for the task, said people familiar with the matter.
The president again signaled fatigue with Esper on Aug. 15, when he used a derogatory nickname for his defense chief, intended to suggest that he is a yes man.
“Mark Yesper, did you call him Yesper?” Trump said at the time. “Some people call it Yesper. I get along with him, ”she added with a shrug.
When asked if he was considering firing Esper, the president responded, “I consider firing everyone. At some point that’s what happens. “
(With contributions from agencies)
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