Trump's team draws up unprecedented "cleansing" list at the Pentagon?

(Dan Tri) - Sources say President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is drawing up a list of military officers who will be fired.

Mr. Pete Hegseth (left) was chosen by President-elect Donald Trump as US Secretary of Defense (Photo: Getty).

WASHINGTON (Reuters ) - President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, including possibly the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said on Thursday, an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon. The plan is in its early stages after Trump's election victory and could change once the Trump administration is formally established, the sources said. One of the sources questioned the feasibility of mass layoffs at the Pentagon. It is unclear whether President-elect Trump would approve of the plan, although he has previously criticized defense leaders who have criticized him. During the campaign, Trump also talked about firing some generals and those responsible for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021. A second source said the incoming Trump administration could focus on US military officers who are believed to have ties to Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump. Milley criticized Trump in Bob Woodward's book "War," published last month. Trump allies have criticized Milley for what they see as disloyalty to the former president. "Every single person that Milley promoted and appointed will go," the second source said. The Joint Chiefs of Staff is made up of the highest-ranking officers in the US military and includes the commanders of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard and Space Force. The revelation of the plan to remove senior leaders of the US armed forces comes a day after President-elect Trump picked Pete Hegseth to be his defense secretary. Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran, has signaled his willingness to clean up the Pentagon. "The next president of the United States needs to radically overhaul the Pentagon's senior leadership so that we are ready to defend our country and defeat our adversaries. A lot of people need to go," Hegseth said in his book, 2024. It is unclear whether Hegseth, who is said to have little management experience, could complicate the Senate confirmation process and whether he can carry out a large-scale layoff at the Pentagon. A source familiar with the transition plan said Milley's successor, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, would likely be among the officers who would leave. “The Joint Chiefs of Staff and all deputy chiefs of staff will be fired immediately,” the source said, but noted that this was still an initial plan. Several current and former US officials have dismissed the possibility of such a major shakeup, saying it would be unnecessary and disruptive at a time when the world is grappling with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. One source said it would be administratively difficult to fire and replace a large number of senior US military officials, so the plan may be just a publicity stunt by the transition team.

According to Reuters/Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nhom-cua-ong-trump-len-danh-sach-thanh-loc-chua-tung-co-tai-lau-nam-goc-20241115071241109.htm