US Department of Defense 'stressed' over transfer of power to Joe Biden

Acting US Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller. Photo: AP.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden's transition team said yesterday (December 18) that they did not agree to a two-week break during transition negotiations with Defense Department officials.

Tensions between the Defense Department and Biden’s transition team came into the public eye yesterday, after Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller said Biden’s team had agreed to a two-week break from previously scheduled transition negotiations at the Pentagon. Miller said the Defense Department had postponed a series of meetings with Biden’s transition team scheduled for yesterday, adding that they would be rescheduled after the holiday break.

However, speaking to the press on the same day, Mr. Yohannes Abraham, CEO in charge of President-elect Joe Biden's transition team, said: "There is no agreement between the two sides to pause work during the holiday. In fact, we think it is very important to continue to conduct briefings and exchanges because we do not have time."

A Defense Department spokesperson said the agency is “working to reschedule 20 interviews with 40 officials after January 1, 2021.” Only six meetings are scheduled for next week, according to a U.S. defense official.

Mr. Yohannes Abraham has called on officials in the Ministry of Defense to resume meetings and share information important to national security as well as ensure uninterrupted government operations.

Regarding the above developments, Axios news site quoted several sources from the Ministry of Defense as saying that the personnel there are “overloaded” due to the transition process. In addition to the pressure from this process, the Ministry of Defense officials still have to take on the daily tasks that are already very heavy.