President Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday after tensions between the two intensified over the summer. The president named Christopher C. Miller, the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, as the acting secretary of Defense. While there had been rumors that Esper would resign after the election, Politico reported as recently as this weekend that the president was not expected to fire Esper, and the assistant to the secretary of Defense for public affairs said last Thursday that "Esper has no plans to resign, nor has he been asked to submit a letter of resignation."
Indeed, Senate leaders including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Armed Services Committee Chair Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) reportedly warned the president about rocking the boat during what The Hill characterizes as "a critical moment abroad," with "the U.S. drawdown in Afghanistan, where there is increasing violence; ongoing tensions with Iran; and ramped-up Chinese aggression in the South China Sea."
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