A rapid series of events took place at the Pentagon to maintain continuity of leadership in the global defense apparatus following President Trump’s abrupt firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a senior defense official Monday.
In the same two-tweet series, Trump named National Counterterrorism Center Director Chris Miller as the acting secretary of defense.
“Chris Miller’s guidance to senior staff is to continue the mission with no significant changes at this time,” the official told the Washington Examiner and a small group of defense journalists at a hastily organized Pentagon briefing.
After Trump tweeted the news, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley gathered the Joint Chiefs on a secure video teleconference at the Pentagon with combatant commanders across the globe to discuss the change, the official said.
“The chain of command was not broken,” he said. The change in command from Esper to Miller was immediate.
I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2020
In a brief video of his arrival at the Pentagon, a masked Miller is seen stumbling over the first stone step outside the river entrance as he quickly made his way inside the building.
Once inside, Miller was quickly brought up to speed on the nation’s nuclear codes, current operations around the world, and other “critical tasks,” the official added.
Miller had been at the helm of NCTC since August after unanimous Senate confirmation.
The Pentagon took pains to stress a calm and orderly transition with no major changes expected. Global combatant commanders are now expected to notify America’s partners and allies of the transition in U.S. defense leadership.
