Top DoD Official to Step Down, Says He Was Asked to Resign
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From the Right
Top Pentagon official John Rood to resign
The Defense Department’s top policy official is leaving his post amid reports of a clash with the White House and members of President Trump’s national security team, creating a key vacancy inside the Pentagon.
John C. Rood, who has served as the Pentagon’s under secretary of defense for policy since January 2018, is expected to formally resign Wednesday at the request of the president. News of his resignation was first reported by CNN and was quickly confirmed by the president on Twitter.
“I would like to thank John Rood for...
From the Left
The senior Pentagon policy official who certified security aid to Ukraine has been asked to resign
A senior Pentagon policy official was asked to resign after losing the support of top national-security leadership, CNN first reported on Wednesday morning.
John Rood, the undersecretary of defense for policy since 2018, will step down at the end of this month, the Pentagon said in a statement, confirming the earlier reporting.
Administration officials told Bloomberg that senior national-security officials had lost confidence in Rood's ability to execute President Donald Trump's agenda. Sources told Foreign Policy that he was asked to resign after Trump lost confidence in him following a...
From the Left
Pentagon Official Who Certified Aid for Ukraine Is Forced Out
The Pentagon’s top policy official, who warned against the Trump administration’s effort to block Ukraine’s military aid last year, is stepping down from his post at the end of the month, Department of Defense press secretary Alyssa Farah said in a statement. The Pentagon’s statement did not explain why John Rood, undersecretary of defense for policy, is leaving. CNN reports he was asked to resign after losing the support of national-security leaders. Farah said James Anderson, the current senior official performing the duties of the deputy undersecretary of defense for...