They are not feeling the love over at the Pentagon these days.
Under orders from the big boss to welcome the transition team from President-elect Trump with model efficiency and military precision, the armed services and civilian officials have prepared office space, briefing books and get-acquainted guides.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter is traveling, but he directed his chief of staff to stay home so he could be at the Pentagon in case anyone from Team Trump shows up.
But so far, the phone hasn’t rung.
“As of this moment, there’s not been any contact from the president-elect’s transition team,” said Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. “We stand ready to assist the president-elect’s transition team with a smooth and orderly transition in the interest of national security and for our country.”
Carter said Monday he’s not worried about the no-shows.
“I don’t know when they’ll come. That’s entirely up to them,” Carter said. “They’ll arrive when they’re ready to arrive. But we’ll be ready for them when they do.”
Speaking to reporters traveling with him to California, Carter said handling a change of command is something the U.S. military does a lot and is good at.
“There’s a fairly well-understood template. But the mission on our side is very clear … We’ll try to help them to get all the information and the perspective that will help them to hit the ground running. That’s our objective.”
