Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump The choice of defense secretary is still up in the air, but it is certain that he will try to reshape the Pentagon and choose a loyalist. During his tumultuous first term, five men held the position of head of the Pentagon before resigning, being fired or briefly serving as a stopgap.

Although he has not yet announced a decision, the names of potential Pentagon chiefs range from well-known ones — such as Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee — to a range of former administration loyalists, including the retired lieutenant general. Keith Kellogg, who held national security posts during Trump’s first term.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had fled, but Trump said on social media on Saturday that Pompeo would not join the new administration. Representative Michael Waltz of Florida was also mentioned, but he has now been designated as Trump’s national security adviser.

Some decisions can linger for days, as candidates jostle for attention and officials wait for the outcome final results of house racesweighing whether Republican lawmakers can be tapped or whether others are a safer choice to avoid new elections for an empty congressional seat.

“The choice is going to tell us a lot about how he will handle the Pentagon,” said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a retired Marine colonel.

He said someone with a deep military background might not experience as dramatic a change as others who could be seen as stronger Trump loyalists.

With a number of top jobs at the State Department, National Security Council and Defense Department up for grabs, Trump is expected to target those who support his bid an end to American involvement in any waruse the military to control the US-Mexico border And take a tough stance against Iran.

The main test, however, will be loyalty and a willingness to do what Trump wants while trying to avoid the pushback he got from the Pentagon the first time.

Trump’s relationship with his civilian and military leaders during those years was fraught with tension, confusion and frustration, as they struggled to temper or even interpret presidential tweets and statements that blindsided them with abrupt policy decisions they were unwilling to make. to explain or defend.

Time and time again, senior Pentagon officials — both in and out of uniform — tried to discourage, delay or derail Trump, on issues ranging from his early demand to ban transgender troops from serving in the military and his announcements that he withdraw troops from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan for his urge to use troops to guard the border And put an end to civil unrest in the streets of Washington.

During his first administration, Trump targeted what he saw as strong military personnel and defense industry executives. Initially, Trump was in love with generals, but over time he discovered that they were not loyal enough.

“He got mad at them,” Cancian said. ‘They weren’t as flexible as he thought. … I’ve heard people speculate that the chairman might be fired. So that’s something to look at.”

Air Force Gen. CQ Brown took over as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October 2023 for a four-year term, but military leaders serve at the pleasure of the president. Brown, a fighter pilot and only the second Black officer to serve as chairman, spoke out after the police killing of George Floyd, describing the prejudice he faced in his life and career.

It is also expected that Trump will choose someone as Secretary of Defense with contempt for equality and diversity programs and he is less likely to oppose his plans based on the limitations set out in the constitution and the rule of law. But he could also push for higher defense spending, at least initially, including on U.S. missile defense.

A key overriding concern is that Trump will select someone who will not resist potentially illegal or dangerous orders or protect citizens. the long-standing apolitical status of the military.

On Thursday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin raised the red flag. In a message to the military, he said the U.S. military is holding its ground ready to “obey all lawful commands of its civilian chain of command,” adding that the troops take an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

He echoed retired Army Gen. Mark Milley’s statement during a closing speech four years as chairman of the joint chiefs.

“We do not swear an oath to a king or queen, or to a tyrant or dictator. And we are not swearing in a wannabe dictator,” Milley said. “We do not swear an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that America is, and we are willing to die to protect it.”

Trump’s first defense chief, retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis, quickly learned to stay off his boss’ radar by largely eliminating news conferences that Trump could see.

Mattis and Milley, along with Trump’s Chief of Staff John Kelly, a retired Navy general, and retired Marine General Joseph Dunford, who was also chairman of the Joint Chiefs, all worked quietly behind the scenes to temper some of Trump’s decisions .

They blocked his demands for a rapid and complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan and succeeded in preventing the use of active-duty troops to quell civil unrest in Washington.

Two years later, Mattis abruptly resigned in December 2018 expressing frustration with Trump’s national security policies, including a perceived disregard for allies and his demands to withdraw all troops from Syria. Patrick Shanahan, the deputy defense secretary, took over as acting head of the Pentagon but withdrew as a candidate six months later due to personal family issues that became public.

Then-Army Secretary Mark Esper took over the acting role, but he had to step aside briefly when he was nominated, so Navy Secretary Richard Spencer served as acting chief until Esper was confirmed.

Esper was fired days after Trump lost the 2020 electionlargely because the president did not believe he was loyal enough. Trump was particularly angered by Esper’s public opposition to invoking the two-century-old Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty troops in the District of Columbia during the unrest following the police killing of George Floyd.

Trump appointed Christopher Miller, a retired Army officer who was director of the National Counterterrorism Center, as acting secretary and surrounded him with staunch loyalists.

That’s the Pentagon officials quietly say they expect in Trump’s new administration.