With the sacking of Mark Esper, the president has the record of replacing five acting or confirmed defense secretaries. President Donald Trump is convinced that the military can be manipulated for political purposes and continues to attack the foundation of the civilian-military relationship.
The parade of defense secretaries started with James Mattis, a revered former general who resigned in December 2018 in protest of Trump’s capricious treatment of our allies. The second Secretary was Patrick Shanahan, an aerospace executive who quit out of contention when a past domestic dispute came to light. Esper took the post in June 2019 and Richard Spencer filled the role for eight days while waiting for Esper’s confirmation in July.
Trump’s motivation for the firing may be a months-old dissatisfaction against Esper who contradicted some Trump’s actions and desires.
- In June 2020 Esper apologized for Trump’s bellicose language. He contradicted the president when he said, “I did not support invoking the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old law, that allow the domestic use of federal forces.”
- In July Esper angered the president again. First, he approved a promotion for Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Vindman, who had been a key witness to the House of Representatives during Trump’s impeachment (Colonel Vindman chose to retire). Then he issued an order that in effect banned the Confederate flag from military facilities, a symbol of the pro-slavery South in America’s civil war. Trump had said that the Confederate flag did not represent racism and instead only represented the South.
- In August, with his common lack of respect, Trump called his defense secretary “Mark Yesper.” But in an interview with the Military Times, published after his firing, Esper took pride in his record of standing up to the president and said: “Who’s going to come in behind me? It’s going to be a real ‘yes man’. And then God help us.”
Trump appointed Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre (NCTC), as acting secretary of defense effective immediately. A better option would have been Esper’s deputy, David Norquist, who had the experience to take charge. The problem with Trump’s appointment is that federal statute dictates that Esper’s deputy, David Norquist, ought to take charge. In addition, change in leadership may disrupt the department budget process, which is currently being prepared. Another concern is that Trump forced Esper out to enable reckless policy maneuvers such as the withdrawal of remaining troops in Afghanistan. There are also rumors of Trump’s desire to fire the heads of the CIA and FBI.
But at the end, it is possible Trump fired Esper just to enjoy the pleasure of settling a score with him.