Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth has formally terminated the service of each member sitting on the Division of Protection’s advisory committees.
Based mostly on the knowledge obtainable on the web site as of Thursday, the now-defunct panels included a number of well-known Democrats and Bush-era Republicans.
- Janine Davidson (Chair) – Former Underneath Secretary of the Navy below Obama. A staunch Democrat and longtime proponent of Obama-era army reforms, now steering Pentagon coverage recommendation.
- Michèle Flournoy – Held main Pentagon roles below Clinton and Obama; typically mentioned as a possible Secretary of Protection below Hillary Clinton or Biden.
- Colin Kahl – Nationwide Safety Advisor to then-VP Biden, later Underneath Secretary of Protection for Coverage below Biden. Key Biden ally and architect of many failed Center East methods through the Obama years.
- Susan Rice – Nationwide Safety Advisor below Obama; Home Coverage Advisor below Biden. Central to Obama’s overseas coverage blunders and later helped craft Biden’s radical home agenda.
- Dana Shell Smith – Profession diplomat; served as U.S. Ambassador to Qatar below Obama.
- Eric Edelman – Undersecretary of Protection for Coverage below George W. Bush; sturdy neoconservative background.
- Jon Huntsman Jr. – Served below George W. Bush (Ambassador to Singapore) and Obama (Ambassador to China); briefly served below Trump (Ambassador to Russia).
- Kori Schake – Held roles below Bush; related to AEI and different suppose tanks; recognized for hawkish, internationalist views.
Hegseth’s decisive motion got here after a 45-day inside evaluate, which concluded that these advisory our bodies had grow to be bloated, ineffective, and, in lots of instances, politically misaligned with the division’s new mission below President Trump’s renewed management.
In a statement issued late Thursday, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell made clear that the division was taking a brand new course:
“Yesterday, knowledgeable by the lately concluded 45-day review of DOD advisory committees, Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth directed the conclusion of service of all members of every DOD advisory committee that had been topic to the evaluate, per relevant legislation.
Secretary Hegseth appreciates the members’ efforts on behalf of the division and america of America, however adjustments are wanted to assist the brand new strategic course and coverage priorities of the division and to make sure departmental assets are used effectively.”
