Now, Pentagon Chief of Staff Kevin Sweeney Resigns after US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis Stepped down

Adding to what amounts to an indirect refusal to endorse the foreign and defence policy US President Donald Trump is espousing, another senior Pentagon official has resigned from the Trump Administration. Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney, serving as the Defence Department’s Chief of Staff resigned from his post citing a desire to “move to the private sector.”

Rear Admiral Sweeney who served as Chief of Staff at the Pentagon for two years, is the third Pentagon official to quit in the last month and a half. These resignations have come soon after the US President announced his decision to withdraw troops from Syria as well as reduce the US troop presence in Afghanistan.

Sweeney’s resignation letter was short and simply mentioned that it had been “an honour to serve” but made no mention of Trump, the man who had appointed him. However, Sweeney’s departure was commented upon by the acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who has been appointed after Jim Mattis resigned. Shanahan wrote, “We're going to miss him here at the Pentagon."

"I greatly appreciate Kevin Sweeney's service to our nation, first as a Navy officer of more than 30 years, and then as the Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Defense for the past two years," Shanahan wrote in a tweet.

Sweeney’s resignation has been preceded by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, Defence Department spokeswoman Dana White who also left her post after the US President's surprise announcement on Syria. Brett McGurk, the presidential special envoy to the global coalition fighting so-called Islamic State also quit soon after Trump’s announcement of troop withdrawal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 07, 2019 08:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).