© Military.comFormer Sec. of Defence Mark Esper • Natl. Counterterrorism Center Dir. Chris Miller
"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," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service."
Esper had long been seen as out the door, regardless of who won the election. But firing him now gives Trump a chance to flex his executive powers at a time he is trying to project strength amid his electoral defeat. It also raises questions about the military chain of command during a fraught time in the United States. The Pentagon declined a request for comment, referring questions to the White House. The White House did not offer comment.
Trump and Esper have had a rocky relationship since the summer's nationwide racial justice protests. During the height of the protests, Trump threatened to deploy active-duty troops to quell the demonstrations. Esper responded by holding a press conference at the Pentagon announcing his opposition to deploying troops. Esper's public split reportedly angered Trump so much that he had to be talked out of firing the Defense secretary then. In August, Trump publicly signaled his displeasure with Esper, saying that he "considers firing everybody" when asked whether he would fire his Defense chief.
Trump also derided Esper as "Yesper," a nickname that other Pentagon officials had reportedly given the Defense secretary for being too deferential to the president.
Talk that Trump could fire Esper picked up again in the days after Tuesday's presidential election as it seemed increasingly likely that Biden had won.
The Pentagon last week pushed back on reports speculating about Esper's fate, with chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman saying that Esper "has no plans to resign, nor has he been asked to submit a letter of resignation."
In an interview with Military Times published Monday after he was fired but conducted last week, Esper said he never intended to resign but was expecting his tenure to end soon. Esper defended his legacy implementing the National Defense Strategy that calls for a greater focus on China and Russia and expressed agitation at his "Yesper" nickname.
"My frustration is I sit here and say, 'Hm, 18 Cabinet members. Who's pushed back more than anybody?' Name another Cabinet secretary that's pushed back. Have you seen me on a stage saying, 'Under the exceptional leadership of blah-blah-blah, we have blah-blah-blah-blah?' "National security experts and some lawmakers have warned about the dangers of having a rudderless Pentagon during the presidential transition period if U.S. adversaries such as Russia and China try to cause trouble.
"At the end of the day, it's as I said — you've got to pick your fights. I could have a fight over anything, and I could make it a big fight, and I could live with that — why? Who's going to come in behind me? It's going to be a real 'yes man.' And then God help us."
In addition to speculation about Esper, questions are also swirling about the fate of other national security leaders, including FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Sunday:
"The disarray of the lame duck Trump White House, especially in the national security space, could be staggering. And our adversaries may try to take advantage. Like I said yesterday. Trump is creating a dangerously unstable national security environment during this transition period. Adversaries are watching."House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) called the ouster during the transition period "destabilizing."
"President Trump's decision to fire Secretary Esper out of spite is not just childish, it's also reckless. It has long been clear that President Trump cares about loyalty above all else, often at the expense of competence, and during a period of presidential transition competence in government is of the utmost importance."Esper had been Defense secretary since 2019, replacing James Mattis, who resigned in December 2018 over disagreements about Trump's Syria policy.
Mattis resigned after Trump tried to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria, a move defense officials warned would leave the United States' Kurdish partners vulnerable to attack and create a vacuum in which ISIS could resurge.
Trump eventually backtracked on the withdrawal amid considerable backlash from GOP lawmakers. He is poised to leave office with about 500 troops in Syria.
Miller, who Trump said will serve as acting Defense secretary, has been director of the National Counterterrorism Center since August. He previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and combating terrorism, and before that, worked on counterterrorism in the Trump's National Security Council.
Installing Miller as acting Defense chief leapfrogs over Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist, who would be in line to fill the role if Trump did not name someone else.
The firing also means Trump is ending his tenure with his fourth acting Defense secretary in less than two years.
After Mattis resigned, then-Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan served as acting Defense secretary for about half of 2019. Trump intended to nominate Shanahan to fill the job, but he withdrew from consideration after allegations surfaced about domestic issues. Esper then briefly filled the job in an acting capacity, followed by then-Navy Secretary Richard Spencer before Esper was confirmed.
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