US Defense Secretary Resigns: Allies Worried, Internal Turmoil
(Baonghean) - President Donald Trump decided to let Defense Secretary James Mattis "leave" earlier than planned in his resignation letter.
This is no different from an official being fired after leaving the job and is the clearest evidence that tensions between the President and the head of the Pentagon have reached a boiling point.This serious decision not only caused turmoil in the US cabinet but also made Washington's allies "restless".
The ending was foretold
Personnel changes are not unexpected in the administration of US President Donald Trump. But the departure of any official in this cabinet is a story full of drama. This time it is the turn of the head of the Pentagon - James Mattis.
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| President Donald Trump decided to let Mr. Mattis “leave” earlier than planned, specifically on January 1, 2019. Photo: Getty |
He sent his resignation letter to the Oval Office on December 20, and just hours later, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that the defense secretary would retire “with honor” at the end of February 2019, as planned in Mr. Mattis's letter.
The US press said that at that time, it seemed that President Trump did not read Mr. Mattis' resignation letter and did not know that in it, the former 4-star Marine General had made quite harsh criticisms of him.
So a few days later, apparently having read the letter carefully, Mr. Trump immediately changed his decision to let Mr. Mattis leave earlier than planned, specifically on January 1, 2019.
He also announced that he would appoint Mr. Mattis' deputy, Mr. Patrick M. Shanaha, as acting Secretary of Defense while he searches for a permanent replacement.
Mr Mattis's firing after resigning was the culmination of a chaotic week at the Pentagon that also reflected the severity of his working relationship with President Donald Trump.
Remember, when choosing Mr. Mattis as Secretary of Defense before starting his presidential term, Mr. Trump had many "winged" words for this general.
“Mr. Mattis is one of the most talented generals we have had in decades, an extraordinary leader of our time.” In his first year in office with a continuous campaign to “clean up” the cabinet, Mr. James Mattis still maintained his position.
However, in the end, he still received the same result as many other officials, either resigning or being fired, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson...
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| Patrick M. Shanaha, Deputy Secretary of Defense, has been appointed as acting Secretary of Defense while President Trump searches for a permanent replacement. Photo: Monica King |
The reason for this departure is clear. In large part, it is because Mr. Mattis disagrees with President Trump's decision to withdraw all US troops from Syria. This is the culmination of the Pentagon chief's dissatisfaction with the US leader.
In his resignation letter, Mr. Mattis implicitly criticized the White House owner's foreign policy, saying that Mr. Trump did not value close allies and did not have a strong stance on opponents like Russia and China.
In an interview with CBS in October, President Trump hinted that he was “not happy” with “certain people” in his administration. Some people said Mattis was among them.
Happy or worried?
The departure of Defense Secretary Mattis shows that no position is certain or fixed in the Trump administration. Explaining the constant cabinet shuffle, Mr. Trump once stated that it was due to the need for change and to have the best team.
According to observers, the “best team” he mentioned is not the most experienced politicians or the best people, but the people who are most “in agreement” with him.
In theory, having a unified, consensus-based cabinet is a great advantage for an administration. However, many Americans are concerned about Mr. Trump's approach.
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| US Army soldiers. Photo: Business Insider |
Both Democrats and Republicans see Mr. Mattis's departure as a serious matter, adding to the unpredictability and ambivalence of President Trump and America's go-it-alone approach to global security.
Mr. Henry Olsen, a senior researcher working at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said that President Trump is making his own foreign and security policy. He will dismiss opposing views or "inappropriate" proposals.
Moreover, up to this point, Mr. Mattis is considered the most experienced official and capable of proposing the most effective national security strategy in the Trump Administration. Therefore, his withdrawal will be a great loss for the US cabinet.
Not only is the US internally concerned, the Pentagon's personnel changes are making US allies "restless". This is completely understandable because Secretary Mattis is a strong supporter of maintaining traditional relationships with close allies, in contrast to President Trump's more economic approach.
Defense Secretary James Mattis has been praised by US allies in the Asia-Pacific region as someone who can build trust and is the last “stabilizing factor” in the current US administration.
Asia is a region with close allies of the US such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, and is also home to many hot spots such as the Korean peninsula, the East China Sea, the South China Sea...
America’s allies have long needed America’s long-term and stable engagement to prevent the risk of conflict. Australian Senator Jim Molan said Mr. Mattis’s withdrawal was worrying because it created a “new extreme variable” in US policymaking.
“He (Mattis) is the gatekeeper in the US administration that they largely rely on him to soften the blow of President Trump's instinctive behavior.”
Even China, which thought it could feel secure after the US “hawk” general withdrew from the political stage, instead felt uneasy. Chinese experts said that, despite pursuing a tough policy, Mr. Mattis is still very rational and a moderate policy-maker.
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| Mr. James Mattis talks with US soldiers. Photo: Reuters |
Tensions between the two militaries were handled properly and did not escalate into conflict or crisis during his tenure, raising concerns about the policies that Mattis’ successor will implement after taking office.
It can be said that the turmoil at the Pentagon this time is not simply a personnel rearrangement but also reflects the future of US security policy.
The US has announced the withdrawal of military forces in Syria and Afghanistan. Will President Trump order the withdrawal of troops stationed in South Korea? How will the policy towards North Korea, Iran, and the East Sea issue be handled?
These questions will be partly answered when the White House owner chooses a "like-minded" person to take over the Pentagon long-term./.
