A senior Pentagon official has resigned in the wake of Monday’s firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a defense official confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
Esper’s chief policy adviser, James Anderson, submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday, the first top Pentagon official to fall after Esper’s unceremonious firing via Twitter one day ago.
Anderson was the acting undersecretary of defense for policy and was sworn in as the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy on June 8. His duties included advising the secretary of defense on national security policy and building partnerships with America’s friends and allies.
In a letter first reported by Politico and confirmed to the Washington Examiner to be authentic by a defense official, Anderson cites his accomplishments and his allegiance to the Constitution.
“Now, as ever, our long-term success depends on adhering to the U.S. Constitution all public servants swear to support and defend,” he wrote.
The move sets up a potential battle with Congress as controversial Trump nominee Anthony Tata, currently acting in the deputy role, is positioned to take over.
The retired Army general was poised to face a Senate confirmation hearing in July for the position of undersecretary of defense for policy when Republican support began to slip.
In 2018, Tata made remarks on Twitter that were critical of Islam and claimed that President Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear agreement showed that Islam had been elevated above U.S. national interests.
Tata later recanted, but support for the high-level Pentagon nomination was doomed, and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe was forced to cancel the July 30 hearing after a late-night call with President Trump.
Tata is again in the hot seat, and the Pentagon refused to confirm to the Washington Examiner that he will, in fact, move from the deputy role to the undersecretary of defense for policy position, a natural progression in the organizational chart when a vacancy comes about.
Military officials assured the Washington Examiner and a small group of defense reporters Monday that there was a calm, orderly transition at the Pentagon following the surprise Esper firing.
Nonetheless, a new controversy could be unsettling to the department at a critical time with troops winding down in Afghanistan and Iraq, where terrorists continue to wage a war against U.S.-backed states, and peace seems further away.
Trump’s replacement for Esper, Chris Miller, is only in his second day on the job, introducing himself to senior-level commanders stationed around the globe, while America’s allies await news of another major change at the U.S. Department of Defense.
