Biden administration halts effort to install Trump loyalists on Pentagon advisory boards
By Dan Lamothe Washington Post,Updated January 29, 2021, 3:54 p.m.
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WASHINGTON â The Biden administration has halted an effort to install several Trump loyalists on Defense Department advisory boards, Pentagon officials say, as the new administration considers a series of unusual appointments that were made in the waning days of the Trump administration.
At least temporarily, the decision affects appointees that include Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, both of whom served as campaign managers for former president Donald Trump. They were named to the Defense Business Board in December, as the Trump administration also abruptly dismissed other members with a form letter from what had historically been a nonpartisan panel advising the defense secretary.
U.S. Department of Defense
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with Canada’s Minister of National Defense, the Honorable Harjit S.
Sajjan, to express the United States’ strong commitment to our critical bilateral defense relationship.
The leaders discussed the many global security challenges we face including COVID-19, security concerns on the North American continent, and the collective challenges to a free and open rules-based international order.
Secretary Austin thanked Canada for its continued commitment to our shared security both at home and abroad, and looks forward to continued consultations on these issues going forward.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo.
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Washington, January 23
Joe Biden spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his first call to a foreign leader as US President, highlighting the strategic importance of their bilateral cooperation to strengthen economic and defence ties, combating the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges posed by climate change.
Biden also spoke with his Mexican counterpart Lopez Obrador on Friday, US media reported.
President Biden and his team are scheduled to make a number of calls to their foreign counterparts in the coming week.
“We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges,” Biden had said in his inaugural address on Wednesday.
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U.S. Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.
Austin III spoke by phone this morning with U.K.
Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace and reaffirmed the importance of the special relationship between our two countries.
The secretaries discussed views on confronting strategic issues of mutual interest, including the COVID-19 response, concerns from a rising China, threats from Russia, and ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Secretary Austin congratulated the U.K.
for the recent announcement of its largest increase in defense spending in thirty years, noting the importance of that spending to our shared security and the collective security of the NATO Alliance.