There's a concerning timing and quality to President Trump's announcement on Monday that he has "terminated" Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Coming just after Trump's election defeat to Joe Biden, this firing seems pointless and vindictive. If Esper were to be fired today, why not a week ago? Why not a month ago? Yes, Trump has absolute authority as president to fire cabinet secretaries, but the timing here suggests that Trump feared firing Esper before the election might cost him politically. If so, what does it say about Trump's leadership that he views domestic partisan politics as a concern more important than national security leadership.
But there's also a particularly odd element to Esper's dismissal. After all, Esper was responsible for driving one of Trump's legacy accomplishments. Namely, his effort to constrain China's imperialism in the South China Sea and the broader Indo-Pacific region. Right from the start of his tenure, Esper prioritized the Pentagon's resources and attention on China, promoting the department's response to that generational threat. This has helped inform doctrinal moves by the Army and Marine Corps to better support the Navy and Air Force in a major conflict with China. Esper has also presided over the Pentagon's strengthened nuclear deterrence-strike posture, something much needed in the face of rising Chinese and Russian nuclear challenges. Esper has also facilitated Trump's directive to realign the military's force posture in Europe.
So why did Trump fire Esper?
It's no secret that Trump was enraged by Esper's public pushback over the president's decision to deploy military forces to Washington, D.C., during the summer riots. Esper and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley were both rightly concerned with the perception that the military's deployment was being used by Trump for narrow partisan, rather than security, interests. To be clear, the president had the right, as commander in chief, to order that deployment. And he had the right to fire Esper for suggesting discomfort with the order. But Trump didn't do so when it would have been pertinent.
In turn, this firing appears to serve no other purpose than to allow Trump to show that he is boss. Trump might feel good, but while China will celebrate, our allies won't, nor should Americans.
