Several members of the Pentagon's Defense Business Board, including the chair and vice chair, were fired on Friday, marking the latest effort by the Trump administration to clean out the Defense Department in the final weeks of the president's term, according to three former board members.
Members of the board received a brief email from Joshua Whitehouse, the White House liaison to the Department of Defense, that simply said, “if you are receiving this e-mail, your membership on the Defense Business Board has expired or is coming to an end.”
The three board members who spoke to POLITICO said their tours were not close to ending.
"A number of board members have been terminated with a form letter. In my experience, I was very surprised that the White House would, at the eleventh hour, adjust an advisory board that for 19 years has had a record of nonpartisan support with the department," Michael Bayer, who until today was board chair, told POLITICO.
"This kind of a move really will weigh heavily on people on the future and their willingness to serve on these outside advisory boards if they're going to be subjected to political loyalty tests. It's unprecedented. I'm just saddened," he added.
The firings came as a shock to the board members, who had not received any negative feedback or warning prior to their termination. One former board member lamented the move, noting that the board “has never been political, ever.”
“You are talking about 15, 20 executives, business leaders, government leaders, who are giving their time to serve the nation and not even a thank you note,” said the person, who asked not to be named. “It’s just about simple gratitude and appreciation for people.”
Other members axed on Friday included board Vice Chair Atul Vashistha, founder and chair of the Neo Group; retired Vice Adm. Dave Venlet; and David Van Slyke, dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
It wasn't immediately clear how many board members were fired. "I had no indication this was coming. It was a form letter going to a large number of people, I just don't know how many people got it," Bayer said.
Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman could not be reached for comment. Whitehouse didn’t respond to a request for comment. A White House spokesperson said they do not comment on personnel.
The Defense Business Board is made up of more than a dozen industry and academic leaders who volunteer to provide independent business advice to Pentagon leadership and are appointed by top Pentagon leaders.
The board has completed reviews of defense agencies and field activities, along with a study of using data analytics in the private sector and how it applies to DoD. The group also recommended disestablishing the position of chief management officer and putting a new alternative in place, which this week was voted into the final National Defense Authorization Act.
"The DBB is a workhorse board and not a show horse board," another former member said.
Whitehouse also delivered the news last week to nearly a dozen members of the Defense Policy Board, a similar advisory council of experts outside the government, that their service had been terminated, Foreign Policy reported. Officials pushed out in that effort include former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright, as well as former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
The board firings come less than a month after President Donald Trump pushed out Defense Secretary Mark Esper, followed by the resignations of the Defense secretary's chief of staff and top officials overseeing intelligence and policy.
Bryan Bender contributed to this report.
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