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Alexis Ross has resigned, the official said, joining current former chief of staff Jen Stewart and senior Pentagon policy and intelligence officials, all three of whom resigned on Tuesday.
The wave of changes within the department in recent days has put officials inside the Pentagon on edge and fueled a growing sense of alarm among military and civilian officials, who are worried about what may follow. The moves will likely only add to the sense of chaos within the Pentagon following Trump’s sacking of Esper by tweet.
Esper was replaced by Christopher Miller, who was the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. The president dumped him two days after his Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, was cast as the winner of the presidential election, a finding Trump has refused to publicly acknowledge.
Sources told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday that the White House now appears to be focused on prosecuting Esper’s under-secretaries at the Defense Department following his dismissal on Monday. The sources said the effort may have been due to Esper and his team pushing back a premature withdrawal from Afghanistan that would be carried out before the requisite conditions on the ground were met, and other security concerns in suspense.
As senior officials grapple with Trump’s unpredictable decision-making since taking office, the current level of uncertainty has steadily increased since the election. There is growing concern that a period of chaotic transition could jeopardize national security.
Among those who have also taken on new roles at the Department of Defense this week is the controversial retired Brick. General Anthony Tata, who took political leadership of the Pentagon, took over from James Anderson, who resigned Tuesday.
Tata was appointed Under Secretary of Defense for Politics this summer, but his appointment was withdrawn due to bipartisan opposition.
Retired Navy Vice Admiral Joseph Kernan, Under Secretary for Intelligence Defense, has also left his post, according to another defense official. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Kernan had resigned or been fired, but his departure accelerated.
This story has been updated with additional reports.
CNN’s Caroline Kelly, Barbara Starr and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.
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