[ad_1]
The Pentagon hasn’t bothered to hide the fact that Austin acted on fears that the Trump administration has openly filled some boards with loyalists.
“The Secretary was deeply concerned with the pace and magnitude of recent changes in the composition of the Departmental Advisory Committees and this review will now allow him to quickly familiarize himself with the purpose of these boards and ensure that the committees advisory boards effectively provide the best possible advice to departmental leadership, ”Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby said.
Current members who are told to resign are only those appointed by the Pentagon and not those appointed by the White House or Congress. For example, four people appointed by the Pentagon to a commission mandated by Congress to remove the names of Confederate generals from military bases will be removed, but the other members of that panel appointed by Congress will remain.
A review of all boards, and whether they are still needed, will now be the focus of attention before new members are appointed.
“There is no doubt that the frenetic activity which has taken place in the composition of so many boards of directors in the period from November to January alone deeply concerned the secretary and certainly helped him to take this decision, ”Kirby added.
“Our stewardship responsibilities require that we continually evaluate to ensure that each advisory board delivers appropriate value now and in the future, as times and demands change,” Austin said in a note to the ministry.
The 42 advisory councils cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year and some of their work is deemed potentially redundant, adding to the need for scrutiny.
The action effectively removes, for now, several hundred people sitting on boards of directors who advise on everything from defense policy, science, innovation, health issues, coastal engineering, sexual misconduct, and diversity and inclusion.
In December, CNN reported that Trump had purged a Pentagon Business Advisory Board and replaced its members with Bossie and Lewandowski, neither of whom have served in the military or have any apparent defense industry experience. .
Members who were suddenly removed from the Defense Policy Board, an external advisory group that provides the Secretary of Defense with advice on defense policy, included former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger, a former senior member of the House Intelligence Committee Jane Harman and former House. Majority leader Eric Cantor,
Kellyanne Conway, whom Trump appointed to the Air Force Academy of Visitors, is a Trump loyalist who is expected to retain her advisory role. Seats on this board are controlled by the president so Austin’s memo does not cover signs where the White House appoints members.
[ad_2]
Source link