(DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has formally terminated the service of every member sitting on the Department of Defense’s advisory committees.
Based on the information available on the website as of Thursday, the now-defunct panels included several well-known Democrats and Bush-era Republicans.
Janine Davidson (Chair) – Former Under Secretary of the Navy under Obama. A staunch Democrat and longtime proponent of Obama-era military reforms, now steering Pentagon policy advice.
Michèle Flournoy – Held major Pentagon roles under Clinton and Obama; often discussed as a potential Secretary of Defense under Hillary Clinton or Biden.
Colin Kahl – National Security Advisor to then-VP Biden, later Under Secretary of Defense for Policy under Biden. Key Biden ally and architect of many failed Middle East strategies during the Obama years.
Susan Rice – National Security Advisor under Obama; Domestic Policy Advisor under Biden. Central to Obama’s foreign policy blunders and later helped craft Biden’s radical domestic agenda.
Dana Shell Smith – Career diplomat; served as U.S. Ambassador to Qatar under Obama.
Eric Edelman – Undersecretary of Defense for Policy under George W. Bush; strong neoconservative background.
Jon Huntsman Jr. – Served under George W. Bush (Ambassador to Singapore) and Obama (Ambassador to China); briefly served under Trump (Ambassador to Russia).
Kori Schake – Held roles under Bush; associated with AEI and other think tanks; known for hawkish, internationalist views.
Screenshot: DOD as of April 24, 2025
According to The Intercept:
The Pentagon quietly scrubbed an advisory board’s website after a fired aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth complained that it was stocked with holdovers hostile to President Donald Trump who might be spreading damaging leaks.
The Defense Policy Board’s online roster was erased after axed staffer Dan Caldwell told Tucker Carlson in an interview that its members were “incredibly hostile” to Trump.
Caldwell was fired Friday amid a Defense Department leak investigation that has led to the ouster of several longtime Hegseth confidants.
In his interview with Carlson, Caldwell cast himself as the victim of a behind-the-scenes battle between warmongers pushing for conflict with Iran and skeptics of foreign military intervention such as himself.
Although the Defense Policy Board is an independent advisory group with no powers of its own, he blamed members including Susan Rice, a former Joe Biden aide, as potential sources of leaks for which he had been blamed.
Hegseth’s decisive action came after a 45-day internal review, which concluded that these advisory bodies had become bloated, ineffective, and, in many cases, politically misaligned with the department’s new mission under President Trump’s renewed leadership.
In a statement issued late Thursday, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell made clear that the department was taking a new direction:
“Yesterday, informed by the recently concluded 45-day review of DOD advisory committees, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the conclusion of service of all members of each DOD advisory committee that had been subject to the review, consistent with applicable law.
Secretary Hegseth appreciates the members’ efforts on behalf of the department and the United States of America, but changes are needed to support the new strategic direction and policy priorities of the department and to ensure departmental resources are used efficiently.”
In a letter issued by former Chief of Staff Joe Kasper, who left the agency Thursday:
“No later than April 25, 2025, each sponsor of a DoD advisory committee will notify advisory committee members that their service has concluded and will provide my appreciation for their efforts on behalf of the Department and United States America.
“The Deputy Secretary of Defense may retain individual members on a case-by-case basis upon determination that the member is required for uninterrupted committee operations necessary for national security reasons. Within 30 days, sponsors will recommend members for their DoD advisory committees for my review and approval.”
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