US Defense Secretary Fires Large Number of Defense Department Advisors... Purging Trump Allies

42 Advisory Committee Activities Suspended...Resignation Demanded by the 16th
US Defense Strategy Shift Expected...Changes Anticipated in Defense Cost-Sharing Issues

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Lloyd Austin, the newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense, plans to dismiss hundreds of Department of Defense advisory board members who were appointed during the previous Donald Trump administration, according to multiple U.S. media reports. Breaking the convention of only having some resign during a transition of power, this mass dismissal is interpreted as a move to remove Trump’s close aides who joined toward the end of the Trump administration and to eliminate obstacles to the new defense strategy of the Joe Biden administration. On the same day, the nominee for U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense hinted at considering the strategic value of alliances in matters such as defense cost-sharing, raising expectations that future U.S. defense policy will differ significantly from that of the Trump administration.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 2nd (local time), citing a senior Department of Defense official, that Secretary Austin has requested hundreds of advisory board members belonging to 42 defense advisory committees appointed during the Trump administration to resign from their positions by the 16th of this month. As a result, many of Trump’s close aides who joined toward the end of the Trump administration, including former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Corey Lewandowski, former Trump campaign manager, are expected to be dismissed en masse. It is also known that Secretary Austin has suspended the activities of the entire advisory committees.

Earlier, former President Trump, just before the end of his term on the 19th of last month, made sweeping personnel changes to the Department of Defense advisory committees, dismissing 12 advisory members who did not follow the Trump administration’s defense strategy and appointing hundreds of his close aides as advisory members. According to the U.S. political media outlet Politico, although advisory members are not part of the Department of Defense, they have access to important security documents and receive millions of dollars annually in advisory fees, exerting significant influence on actual defense strategy.

According to WSJ, U.S. Department of Defense officials explained, "The Secretary of Defense intends to completely review the advisory committees from a zero base" and "restructure them into organizations that can efficiently advise on policy." WSJ reported that as advisory members appointed by former President Trump became active and began to significantly influence the Department of Defense’s strategy and operations, Secretary Austin felt the need to dismiss them.

Accordingly, significant changes in U.S. defense strategy aligned with President Biden’s vision are expected in the future. On the same day, Kathleen Hicks, the nominee for U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, hinted at changes in alliance strategy during a Senate hearing. Hicks stated, "The relationship with allies should be considered not only from the perspective of cost-sharing but also from the aspect of strategic value," suggesting possible changes to issues such as the cost-sharing of U.S. troops stationed abroad and troop withdrawals, which caused friction with various countries during the Trump administration.

The U.S. Department of Defense also stated that Secretary Austin is committed to revitalizing alliances. John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, said at a briefing that day, "What I can say is that Secretary Austin is dedicated to revitalizing our alliances, partnerships, and friendships worldwide," and added, "We are reviewing U.S. military deployments and our contributions globally, and there are no specific figures to mention immediately regarding cost-sharing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.