TRUMP ORDERS PULLBACK, PENTAGON SALUTES: It fell to acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, just one week on the job, to execute the order President Trump issued over Pentagon objections, to withdraw 3,000 U.S. troops hastily from Iraq and Afghanistan by Jan. 15, leaving a force of just 2,500 in both countries, just as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take over managing America’s wars.

“I am formally announcing that we will implement President Trump’s orders to continue our repositioning of forces from those two countries,” Miller said in a brief appearance in the Pentagon briefing room. “This decision by the president is based on continuous engagement with his national security Cabinet over the past several months, including ongoing discussions with me and my colleagues across the United States government.”