- Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called for an “immediate suspension” of the department’s advisory committee.
- The secretary also ordered that a termination of service be done for all advisory board members.
- The advisory councils consist of citizens who are appointed to give dual advice.
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is calling for an immediate suspension of the department’s advisory committee’s activities as it conducts a top-down inquiry and orders the advisory council members removed in mid-February, according to an internal memo. .
Austin, who was nominated by President Joe Biden at the end of January and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, said the Department of Defense’s investigation is being conducted to “align with our most urgent strategic priorities and the National Defense Strategy.”
“Advisory committees have and will continue to play an important role in shaping public policy [the Department of Defense]”Austin told the department in his memo.” That said, our responsibility for stewardship requires that we continually evaluate to ensure that each advisory committee provides the necessary value today and in the future, as times and requirements change. “
In the memo, Austin says that the “closing of the service” for all advisory members will take place no later than February 16th.
—Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) 2 February 2021
The Wall Street Journal reported the news of the changes to the department’s advisory committees on Tuesday afternoon. The latest news follows a report by Politico last week that the Pentagon has suspended all appointments to the boards.
The various advisory boards of the Pentagon consist of civilians appointed by a Secretary of Defense to provide dual advice on matters ranging from business to military policy.
The committees’ intended non-partisan goals were strongly scrutinized after Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller – who was appointed by then-President Donald Trump after firing his defense secretary after the November election – cleared the boards and has installed a number of loyalists in recent weeks. of the administration.
After Miller abruptly emptied most of the Defense Policy Council, he removed a large portion of the Defense Council. Changes to other boards followed. He then elected loyalists such as Trump’s presidential campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, from 2016, and deputy campaign manager, David Bossie, to fill the vacancies.
Some of the loyal people who wanted to install the administration on the boards included people surrounded by controversy.
Scott O’Grady, a retired pilot of the U.S. Air Force F-16, was appointed to the Defense Policy Council in December. The war hero has promoted several conspiracy theories in support of Trump’s unfounded allegations that the presidential election was stolen.
O’Grady recently shared a tweet saying that “indicating that martial law is not a bad idea if there is an attempted coup against the president”, according to CNN, which also reported that O’Grady other disagreed with theories shared about the election, insulted. former military officials, and tweeted at least one pro-QAnon hashtag.
Ret. U.S. Army Chief of Staff Anthony Tata, who was also appointed as an adviser, had earlier criticized his characterization of former President Barack Obama as a “terrorist leader” with “Islamic roots”.
As the Trump administration quickly began to overhaul the advisory boards, a Defense Council adviser who survived the purge resigned in protest. In his resignation letter, Steve Blank wrote that the Trump administration should have purified the advisory boards and filled them with Trump allies, “endangering the country’s security and safety.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby spoke to the press on Tuesday told reporters that the ‘frenetic activity’ at the end of the Trump administration Austin was ‘deeply concerned’ and was a driving force in his decision to clear the boards and start over.