Pres. Trump fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on Monday that he has fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Amidst fears of lame duck President Trump, he is creating mayhem in government agencies by firing a key security figure. The firing of Secretary Esper has also caused concerns that Washington will not be able to respond properly to threats from Iran or North Korea.

The dismissal of Secretary Esper has been expected as it is said that Secretary Esper was going to resign after the result of the presidential election became clear. He publicly expressed his opposition to the use of the Insurrection Act to deploy federal troops to suppress protests against racial injustice in early June. Reportedly, President Trump was enraged by Esper’s remarks. President Trump and Secretary Esper clashed again in July when Esper banned the use of the Confederate Flag in the military, which President Trump had supported.

President Trump fired the defence secretary, dismissing concerns about what impact his decision could bring about. Christopher Miller, who will take over Esper’s role, finds himself taking a new role only about three months after he was assigned to the head of the National Counterterrorism Center. He has a military background, which involves serving as a counterterrorism advisor of the National Security Council (NSC) and the assistant secretary of the Department of Defense.


lightee@donga.com